The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham has issued crucial advice as the city endures scorching temperatures reaching 36°C, with a rare red heat warning in place across the East Midlands. The Met Office predicts even higher temperatures tomorrow, prompting urgent safety reminders from healthcare providers.
Hospital Issues Safety Reminders
On Facebook, the hospital urged people to take care during the record-breaking 48-hour heatwave. They wrote: "As the hot weather continues please remember this important advice: Take care of yourself and check in on loved ones during the heat wave – keep hydrated, stay out of direct sunlight, escalate to your GP or 111 if unwell."
The hospital also emphasised community support: "Check in on vulnerable and frail neighbours – ensure they have access to fluid and food, their heating is off, and they are keeping as cool as possible."
National Impact on Hospitals
Across the country, extreme temperatures have caused systems failures in several hospitals. In Portsmouth, Queen Alexandra Hospital declared a critical incident after a cooling system failed during the heatwave. Mark Orchard, deputy chief executive and chief financial officer of Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, said: “The unprecedented pressures created by the current heatwave, combined with the failure of a number of our chiller units, have led to significant disruption across several of our services.”
He added that affected services include “digital systems and critical clinical services, including theatres, cardiac catheter laboratories, and diagnostic scanning facilities.”
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals have reportedly experienced MRI scanner failures, according to the Eastern Daily Press. At least 254 outpatient appointments have been cancelled. Chris Cobb, chief operating officer at the hospital, said: “Due to the hot and humid weather, the cooling systems in our MRI scanners are failing and we currently have no working MRI scanners at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, this includes the onsite inpatient MRI scanners and the Community Diagnostic Centre outpatient MRI scanners.”
He confirmed that a critical incident has been declared.
