England emergency rooms overrun as fifth heat wave peaks

Heat-related illness, equipment failures and pressure on staff have pushed England’s health service through a summer surge usually associated with winter.MANCHESTER, England (CN) — England’s emergency departments treated a record 2.5 million patients in July, the latest in a run of three unprecedented months as extreme heat placed additional strain on the country’s publicly funded healthcare system.Thursday marks the peak of the fifth heat wave of the year and the hottest day so far, with temperatures reaching 100.6 degrees Fahrenheit at Kew Gardens in southwest London. The Met Office, the U.K.’s national weather service, has issued heat warnings across much of England as temperatures climb.More than 2.4 million patients flooded emergency departments in each of May and June, meaning the three busiest months on record all fell between May and July, according to figures released Thursday by England’s National Health Service.NHS officials said the pressure has reached levels usually seen during winter.Extreme heat has contributed to illnesses including dehydration and heatstroke and increased the risk of complications for people with heart, kidney and respiratory conditions.“Like many members of the public, NHS staff are enjoying the lovely weather outside of work, but the heat is making day-to-day working more challenging while also driving up pressure on services,” NHS national medical director Frankie Swords said.The Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper said the figures showed the NHS must prepare for extreme summer weather in the same way it plans for winter demand.“Today’s figures also show how much of an additional burden is placed on the NHS during periods of extreme heat,” Cooper said. “We must start planning for summer pressures in the NHS in the same way we do for winter.”The figures show the health service managed to improve some measures despite the record demand. About 75.4% of patients were seen, treated or discharged within four hours in July, an improvement from June.Ambulance teams handled 829,675 incidents during the month, the fourth-highest total on record and the second-highest outside winter.The NHS waiting list fell to 7.27 million in June, despite a record number of referrals for treatment. The health service also carried out more than 2.65 million diagnostic tests and checks that month, the highest monthly total on record.Fifth heat wave of the summerThe summer surge has brought its own problems as the country goes through its fifth heat wave of the season.Unions have warned that some healthcare workers are being forced to work in dangerous heat, while equipment including scanners and IT systems has also broken down under the pressure.Swords said NHS workers had continued to show “outstanding professionalism, flexibility and hard work” while treating more patients and reducing the waiting list.The NHS normally sees higher demand during summer as more people spend time outdoors and accidents increase. This year, officials said, the extreme heat has added to that pressure through heat-related illness, respiratory problems linked to dry conditions and the worsening of existing medical conditions.The heat is also putting pressure on resources beyond hospitals.The Met Office, the U.K.’s national weather service, said Tuesday that the country was on course for its hottest summer since records began.Only average temperatures for the rest of August would be needed for this summer to surpass last year’s record.The average for the whole summer of 2025 was 61 degrees Fahrenheit.Drought is threatening food and water securityThe heat has coincided with a severe lack of rain.Drought has been declared across 71% of England and all of Wales, while more than 27 million people across the U.K. face water-use restrictions.Water companies have been urging their customers to reduce the amount of water they use, with little or no rain forecast across much of England and Wales through most of this week.The prolonged dry weather is also threatening agriculture, with farmers warning that shrinking harvests could raise food prices and undermine Britain’s food security.The National Farmers’ Union said wheat and oat yields were “very, very poor” this year, while livestock farmers have begun feeding animals with winter fodder because grass has failed to grow.Vegetable growers are also running short of irrigation water, increasing costs and reducing domestic food production, said union president Tom Bradshaw.“We have to recognize that water security is a critical part of our food security and food security is our national security,” Bradshaw said.The union’s deputy president, Paul Tompkins, described the conditions as “climate change in action” and called for better water planning and more opportunities for farms to store water when rainfall is plentiful.The Met Office has said the hotter summer is consistent with a long-term trend toward hotter and potentially drier summers driven by climate change.For the NHS, Cooper said preparations for extreme heat would need to become a more permanent part of healthcare planning.She said she was working with NHS leaders to ensure staffing, beds and emergency services are prepared for the demand expected during future periods of extreme heat.Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads