Heatwaves, hospitals and health system resilience in England: a qualitative assessment of frontline perspectives from the hot summer of 2019

OBJECTIVE: To critically assess the impacts of very hot weather on (i) frontline staff in hospitals in England and (ii) on healthcare delivery and patient safety. STUDY DESIGN: A qualitative study design using key informant semi-structured interviews, preinterview survey and thematic analysis. SETTING: England. PARTICIPANTS: 14 health professionals in the National Health Service (clinicians and non-clinicians, including facilities managers and emergency preparedness, resilience and response professionals). RESULTS: Hot weather in 2019 caused significant disruption to health services, facilities and equipment, staff and patient discomfort, and an acute increase in hospital admissions. Levels of awareness varied between clinical and non-clinical staff of the Heatwave Plan for England, Heat-Health Alerts and associated guidance. Response to heatwaves was affected by competing priorities and tensions including infection control, electric fan usage and patient safety. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare delivery staff experience difficulty in managing heat risks in hospitals. Priority should be given to workforce development and strategic, long-term planning, prevention and investment to enable staff to prepare and respond, as well as to improve health system resilience to current and future heat-health risks. Further research with a wider, larger cohort is required to develop the evidence base on the impacts, including the costs of those impacts, and to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of interventions. Forming a national picture of health system resilience to heatwaves will support national adaptation planning for health, in addition to informing strategic prevention and effective emergency response.