Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to promote safety in the sun.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published the most recent ‘Heatwave plan for England’ on 26 April 2022, which provides advice on safety from heat-related harm to health. The plan is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1096593/heatwave-plan-for-England-2022-5-August-2022.pdf

The UKHSA held a heatwave and summer preparedness stakeholder event on 28 April 2022 with over 1,000 participants from the health and social care sector and other Government departments and issued a toolkit for hot weather to National Health Service organisations, emergency services and local authorities in England through Local Resilience Forums and regional communications teams. On 14 July 2022, the UKHSA provided heat health alerts and advice on staying safe in the sun during extreme heat, which is available at the following link:

https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2022/07/14/staying-safe-in-extreme-heat/

The NHS also has published guidance on the wearing of suitable clothing, such as hats and sunglasses and the use of sunscreen which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/