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 protect vulnerable groups during periods of extreme heat.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) carries out communication activity with the Met Office to ensure health systems and the public are aware of periods of hot weather, the risks of heat on health and what action they should take.

UKHSA delivers the Adverse Weather and Health Plan and Weather-Health Alerting System, which provides alerts for the public and public sector organisations to prepare for impacts of adverse weather including heat. More information about the plan and system is available at the following two links respectively:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adverse-weather-and-health-plan

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/weather-health-alerting-system

Risks to health are communicated via Heat-Health Alerts. Amber and Red alert to the greatest risk to health of vulnerable people. They include enhanced communications to support partner organisations and the public to take action to minimise health harms and to look out for the vulnerable. Heat-Health guidance and checklists are available for both health and social care professionals and the public.