Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support smaller hospitals to (a) mitigate the impact of extreme heat and (b) maintain safe conditions for staff and patients.

Our 10 Year Capital Plan for Health and Social Care set out a clear commitment to renew our focus on climate resilience.

The Plan is backed by record investment, including £6.75 billion to address the most serious infrastructure risks across the National Health Service estate, including critical ventilation and cooling systems. Looking forward, new hospitals and neighbourhood health centres will be designed to modern environmental and resilience standards, helping to reduce overheating risks and improve long-term resilience to climate change.

All NHS organisations are required to maintain robust arrangements for adverse weather, including heatwaves, and are supported by national heatwave planning and UK Health Security Agency guidance. NHS organisations monitor temperatures locally and are expected to take appropriate action to protect patients, staff and services during periods of extreme heat. Technical standards and guidance support trusts in managing overheating risks, ventilation and cooling.