‘Infection control becomes almost impossible’: four doctors on the NHS heatwave crisis

Hospitals in England are declaring critical incidents with radiotherapy machines, MRI scanners, cooling units and IT systems failing owing to the extreme heat.

Four doctors have described their experiences on the frontline that they say feels unsafe and dangerous for patients amid the worst NHS heatwave crisis in years.

“On Wednesday, I led a ward round on an AMU [acute medical unit]. The office I started from was shared with eight other staff members, and the wall-mounted thermometer read 36C [96.8F]. No spare fan, and certainly no air conditioning, was available.

“Out of seven patients reviewed, four of them had adverse effects due to the extreme heat. These included falls due to postural hypotension, and multiple pre-renal AKIs [acute kidney injuries]."

“This heatwave has pushed patient care into concerning territory. In the heat, corridor care has become more serious and more unsafe.

“We are now ‘reverse parking’ patients opposite one another because there is simply nowhere else to put them. Privacy and dignity disappear instantly. We are breaking bad news in corridors with other patients listening because there’s no room to go anywhere else.

“We are resuscitating patients in corridors after cardiac arrest. This should never happen in a modern health system."

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Source: The Guardian, 25 June 2026