Nearly 10,000 Care Homes In Heatwave Hot Spots

With hotter weather predicted to return to parts of the UK this week, new analysis by Friends of the Earth reveals the areas (high heat neighbourhoods) of England most at risk from dangerous heatwaves.

The environmental justice campaigners are calling on the government to take urgent action to protect those most under threat.

Using 2022 heatwave data – when UK temperatures soared above 40°C for the first time and more than 4,500 people died as a result – Friends of the Earth researchers mapped out the third of the country that experienced the hottest temperatures, and which are highly likely to be exposed to future heatwaves.

The average maximum daytime air temperature in neighbourhoods in this third of the country was 38oC over a 72-hour period, which is 10oC higher than the heatwave threshold used by the Met Office. In other words, these places were dangerously hot. These areas are referred to as high heat neighbourhoods.

4,715 high heat neighbourhoods were identified across England

There have been thousands of heat related deaths across the country in recent years and numbers are expected to rise as climate change gathers pace. According to estimates, more than 250 people died in London alone during the June/ July heatwave earlier this year.

Extreme heat poses a threat to everyone but some – such as older people, young children, people with health issues and hospital patients – are particularly at risk.

Friends of the Earth discovered that these high heat neighbourhoods also contained:

• Nearly 10,000 (9,589) care homes– older people living in care homes and those with health conditions face significantly increased risks from extreme heat. Care homes and their residents are particularly prone to overheating, with over-75s having very high mortality rates from extreme heat.  And as the recent pandemic revealed, care homes are under-funded and have acute staff shortages.
• 1,012 hospitals – many of which are already struggling to stay cool in summer. In 2022-23, the NHS recorded 6,822 instances of hospitals overheating in England.

A list of the parliamentary constituencies with the most care homes in high heat neighbourhoods is topped by West Worthing. Birmingham is the local authority area with most high heat neighbourhoods.

Friends of the Earth is calling on the government to take urgent steps to protect people who live in care homes and attend hospitals and nurseries. They must be prioritised for measures to mitigate extreme heat, including upgrades to buildings poorly equipped for high temperatures and staff training to help safeguard residents.

Public support for tougher action on heat

• There is significant public support for stronger measures to protect people from heatwaves and other extreme weather events. A new YouGov survey for Friends of the Earth, published today, found:
• 4% would support polices to adapt care home buildings and train staff to protect older people during heatwaves
• 81% think the government should develop a plan to protect those most at risk from extreme weather

Friends of the Earth campaigner, Denis Fernando, said:
“Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and more extreme as climate change gathers pace.”

“The UK has been hit by thousands of heat-related deaths over recent years, and this could rise to over 10,000 a year by 2050, according to government advisors.”

“Extreme heat affects us all – but some communities and people are affected harder than others, including older people, young children, people with health issues and hospital patients.”

“The government must urgently overhaul its weak climate adaptation plans to protect communities, especially those most at risk, from increasingly severe weather events such as heatwaves, floods and storms – as well as doing more to cut the emissions that are fuelling the crisis.”

Government’s climate adaptation plan inadequate
The government’s official advisor, the Climate Change Committee, has been critical of the government’s climate adaptation plans, warning in April this year that “the UK is not appropriately prepared. Notably, there has been no change in addressing this risk with the change in Government.”

In July this year, Friends of the Earth and two people whose lives have been severely impacted by the climate crisis filed an official complaint with the European Court of Human Rights [9] over the UK government’s climate adaptation programme. The strategy, which the group deems inadequate, sets out the UK government’s plans and policies for protecting communities from the impacts of climate change, such as extreme heat, flooding and coastal erosion.

One of the co-claimants is disability rights activist Doug Paulley, a care home resident in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, who has health conditions which are exacerbated by searing summer temperatures. Doug is concerned that the government’s current adaptation plans fail to consider the needs of disabled people – particularly in places such as care homes – putting him and others at risk.

Disability rights activist, Doug Paulley, said:

“Time and again, disabled people are treated as an expendable afterthought in emergencies – and climate change is one of the biggest. The government’s lack of effective consideration for us in its climate action plan is completely unacceptable.”

“Friends of the Earth’s research reveals just how many care homes are in heatwave danger zones. The government must do more to ensure residents like me are properly protected from the threat they face.”

Friends of the Earth is calling for the government to strengthen its National Adaptation Programme.

Specific policies the environmental justice campaigners are calling for include: 

• A new national adaptation plan to protect people from heat – and other extreme weather events
• £1 billion per year for upgrades to cool buildings prioritised in the areas most in need, including hospitals, care homes, and nurseries
• Better insulation and ventilation in homes
• More trees, parks, and water features to cool cities
• Public ‘cool spaces’, like libraries and community centres, open during heatwaves
• Heat training on how to protect people most at risk from high temperatures for care and health workers