Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional support vulnerable residents living in the community will receive during the period of extreme heat.

No formal assessment of the impacts of extreme heat on those living in residential care has been made. However, the ‘Heatwave Plan for England’ sets out the risks to vulnerable people from extreme temperatures, including older people, those with pre-existing health conditions and care home residents. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has engaged with local resilience forums (LRFs) to ensure awareness of the latest heat wave guidance. All LRFs should respond to Heat Health Alerts using local protocols, including the Heat Health Toolkit which can be adapted from the Heatwave Plan for England.

Local authorities have plans to respond to adverse weather events and provide guidance and support to adult social care providers to ensure safety and continuity of care. Registered care home providers are also required to have adverse weather contingency plans, reviewed annually by the Care Quality Commission and should monitor residents’ health and provide extra fluids where required.

For those receiving domiciliary care, local authorities and providers share information on prioritising those most at risk and intervening if needed. The UK Health Security Agency’s guidance for carers and managers in residential care homes and for health and social care professionals has been shared with local authorities and providers. All care providers are expected to support good health and safety practice.