Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce heat-related deaths during heat waves in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency aims to reduce heat-related deaths primarily through the Adverse Weather and Health Plan. This provides guidance and tools for the public and public sector organisations to prepare for impacts of adverse weather, including heat. The plan is reviewed and monitored annually to ensure it remains effective.
Health risks are communicated through Heat‑Health Alerts. These identify periods of greatest risk to vulnerable populations and enhance communications to support partner organisations and the public in taking action to minimise health harms. Summer 2025 was the warmest on record, yet heat-related deaths, estimated at 1,504, were roughly half of the 3,039 expected based on past trends. This reduction highlights the success of coordinated responses across national, regional, and local levels, alongside improved public awareness and health system readiness.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the feasibility of making coagulometers available for loan to patients self-testing International Normalised Ratio levels on the same basis that blood glucose testing meters are available free to diabetics through the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is important that patients on warfarin have regular blood tests to monitor their International Normalised Ratio levels. Patients can be tested in their general practice (GP) surgery or hospital anticoagulant clinic. The Department has not made an assessment of how best to provide coagulometers as the decision on how best to run and fund testing is a local decision. Self-testing is possible if the clinician was confident of the results and if the GP or anticoagulant clinic chose to fund the testing in this way. We are not aware of patients being asked to pay for a coagulometer to self-test.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government why patients on warfarin are expected to pay for a coagulometer to self-test International Normalised Ratio levels or use an NHS nurse appointment for monitoring.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is important that patients on warfarin have regular blood tests to monitor their International Normalised Ratio levels. Patients can be tested in their general practice (GP) surgery or hospital anticoagulant clinic. The Department has not made an assessment of how best to provide coagulometers as the decision on how best to run and fund testing is a local decision. Self-testing is possible if the clinician was confident of the results and if the GP or anticoagulant clinic chose to fund the testing in this way. We are not aware of patients being asked to pay for a coagulometer to self-test.