Blog

Apr 03, 2023

With deadly heatwaves rising, this is what care homes can do to save lives

Last summer the Met Office issued its first red weather warning over a series of

Last summer the Met Office issued its first red weather warning over a series of heatwaves that swept across the UK. Nowhere were the effects felt more than in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, where the temperature hit 40.3C, a new record.

Such heatwaves are set to increase in intensity, duration and frequency because of the climate crisis, with severe health implications. While extreme heat is dangerous to everyone, NHS guidance says the risks are heightened among older people, "and especially those living in care homes". On the hottest days last summer, care home deaths were 9.2 per cent above average.

For residents of Toray Pines in Coningsby, effective planning meant that they were kept broadly comfortable during the heatwave. "We knew that we would have high temperatures