healthcare systems
Heatwaves, hospitals and health system resilience in England: a qualitative assessment of frontline perspectives from the hot summer of 2019
This study shows how the 2019 heatwave disrupted hospital care in England, highlighting infrastructure weaknesses, staff awareness gaps, and competing priorities, and calls for stronger adaptation planning and investment to build health system resilience to extreme heat.
UK Hot Weather Health Plan (Society for Acute Medicine)
This document provides practical guidance for UK acute care clinicians to prepare for and manage the health impacts of extreme heat, focusing on protecting vulnerable patients, adapting clinical practice, and maintaining safe hospital environments during heatwaves.
Extreme heat, hospital crowding, and the hidden health costs of climate change
This column considers extreme heat as not only a direct health threat, but also a systems-level shock that will expose and exacerbate existing vulnerabilities in healthcare delivery.