{"id":511562,"date":"2026-06-26T05:07:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T05:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/511562\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T05:07:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T05:07:13","slug":"hospitals-in-england-declare-critical-incidents-as-machines-and-it-fail-in-heat-nhs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/511562\/","title":{"rendered":"Hospitals in England declare critical incidents as machines and IT fail in heat | NHS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Doctors have set out the disastrous impact extreme heat is having on the NHS in England<\/a>, with radiotherapy machines and MRI scanners failing, critical IT systems stalling and cooling units that serve entire hospitals breaking down.<\/p>\n

The hot weather<\/a> has also prompted a surge in admissions and people arriving at A&E, causing severe overcrowding in some places and exacerbating heat-related pressures on infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of people, especially older patients, are turning up having collapsed or with dehydration,\u201d one physician said. \u201cIn terms of inpatients, the conditions are awful due to overcrowding. Very few places have air conditioning and staff are really struggling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Older patients in one geriatric ward had been forced to endure temperatures as high as 35C, a second doctor said. Even wards with built-in air conditioning were affected, as some units were shut down to prevent them from being damaged by the extreme heat.<\/p>\n

Another doctor said their workplace was \u201cunfit to cope\u201d, with patients and staff experiencing \u201cawful conditions\u201d in sweltering wards, clinics and corridors.<\/p>\n

graphic temperatures<\/a><\/p>\n

NHS staff were also navigating the challenge of providing care while sleep-deprived. Like much of the UK population, many have struggled to sleep this week. Some medics were unable to work because their children\u2019s schools had closed.<\/p>\n

Several NHS trusts in England have declared critical incidents as a direct result of the extreme heat. One hospital had done so after its machines failed in multiple areas, a doctor said. Labs used for testing were affected and two linear accelerator machines, used to treat cancer patients, had stopped working amid the high temperatures.<\/p>\n

The doctor said that although they were working in a relatively new care setting, it was \u201ctacked on to an old Victorian hospital\u201d, creating severe infrastructure challenges. \u201cIt\u2019s hopeless, really,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

The doctor also said their NHS trust had faced \u201cmajor issues\u201d with IT servers overheating on Wednesday. \u201cWe thought we were going to lose everything, so we were all asked to turn off non-essential computers and electrical equipment, including lights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"EuropeansEuropeans grapple with scorching June heatwave \u2013 video<\/p>\n

In Portsmouth, the Queen Alexandra hospital declared a critical incident after extreme heat caused cooling units to fail, leading to \u201celevated temperatures\u201d across the hospital.<\/p>\n

The failure of the cooling units affected the hospital\u2019s digital systems and critical clinical services, including operating theatres, cardiac catheter laboratories and diagnostic scanning facilities, Portsmouth hospitals university NHS trust said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d said the trust\u2019s deputy chief executive, Mark Orchard.<\/p>\n

Some planned care and appointments were cancelled, while patients attending appointments were advised to bring lots of water.<\/p>\n

The Royal Devon and Exeter hospital said it had declared a critical incident on Thursday evening \u201cdue to the widespread nature of impacts the extreme heat and humidity\u201d were having on its ability to deliver services.<\/p>\n

In Norfolk, hundreds of patients had hospital appointments cancelled after MRI scanners stopped working. Norfolk and Norwich university hospitals NHS foundation trust declared a critical incident, saying cooling systems that kept its scanners running had been affected by the hot weather and humidity.<\/p>\n

It said it currently had no working MRI scanners across its Norwich sites, including those at its main hospital and its community diagnostic centre.<\/p>\n

NHS England said hospitals were implementing their hot weather plans to keep staff and patients safe, including managing temperatures in clinical areas, supporting hydration and prioritising care for higher-risk groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal organisations are working to keep staff and patients as safe as possible, making changes to appointments where necessary, ensuring critical services can be sustained during periods of extreme heat, and promoting preventative measures to avoid heat exhaustion,\u201d a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

The London ambulance service said it had recorded the highest number of life-threatening emergencies in a single day in its history, driven by the extreme heat. Crews responded to a record 642 category one calls on Wednesday. Category one incidents include the most serious, life-threatening injuries and illnesses such as cardiac arrests and patients who are not breathing.<\/p>\n

Dr Hilary Williams, the clinical vice-president of the Royal College of Physicians, said the impact on patients and staff exposed an NHS that was dangerously underprepared for this week\u2019s extreme heat.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cThere are reports of older patients arriving at hospital having collapsed or with dehydration. Patients are facing overcrowding, and there are issues with machines, laboratories and kidney dialysis \u2013 all fundamental to providing safe patient care.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact of heatwaves on staff cannot be overstated. There is a sense of foreboding when we see the weather forecast, because we know what is to come, and there is very little staff can do.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not as simple as buying fans, which can present a fire risk when used alongside oxygen and may increase the spread of infection.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the NHS was already under \u201cenormous pressure\u201d owing to rising demand and workforce shortages. Coupled with an ageing estate, those challenges had intensified with the arrival of record temperatures this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs clinicians, there are immediate steps we can take to protect patients, such as reviewing medications that affect hydration and ensuring they are stored appropriately,\u201d Williams said. \u201cBut this must be matched by system-level change \u2013 strengthening infrastructure and embedding resilience into NHS reform.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said buildings must be upgraded to withstand extreme heat and other climate risks. \u201cHospitals should be places of safety, not settings where extreme heat puts patients and staff at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Department of Health<\/a> and Social Care said all NHS trusts were required to have effective arrangements to deal with extreme heat. \u201cTrusts are urgently coordinating responses to increased demand on health services and protecting vulnerable patients,\u201d a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

Get in touch<\/p>\n

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