More than 1,000 operations cancelled due to extreme heat

The impact of this summer’s heatwaves on NHS hospitals has been revealed via Freedom of Information requests. Meanwhile, the government has earmarked £32 million for hospital cooling upgrades.

More than 1,000 operations were cancelled due to extreme heat in May and June

More than 1,000 operations at NHS hospitals were cancelled due to heat during the UK’s record May and June heatwaves, according to climate science journalists at Carbon Brief.

Cancelled surgeries included 167 for orthopaedic problems, such as knee and hip replacements, as well as heart, eye and skin cancer operations.

At least ten emergency surgeries – those for “life-threatening” conditions – had to be cancelled because of the record-breaking heat, according to the investigation.

Carbon Brief sent freedom-of-information (FOI) requests to 140 NHS trusts to investigate the impact of heatwaves on operations being cancelled in England and Wales across the 17-day period covering 22-28 May and 18-27 June when “amber” and “red” heat warnings were in place.

We cancelled clinics due to concerns for patients traveling in temperatures of over 30°C when they already can’t breathe even on a good day.Areas with the most operations cancelled due to heat include Surrey and Sussex, south Essex and parts of London – all regions experien

cing among the highest temperatures.High temperatures can threaten patient safety by stopping the ventilation systems used in theatres from working, increasing the risk of

infection, experts told Carbon Brief.Less than half of the NHS trusts provided data, as Carbon Brief noted that many hospitals do not routinely record this information.This

means that