DS Risk Warning: Weather: AMBER heat health alert updated for the South West

Hello all, The above Agency has just increased the warning to Amber. The details are below. We have had a number of calls on sports days. It is one of those 'no wins' like snow. Some have been able to move things to first thing, otherwise they've been sensibly postponed or even cancelled. There's some enquiries too on DofE expeditions, which in the circumstances will need careful review and potential postponing. If you have any other queries, do get in touch and we'll do our best to advise. DS Heat health alert updated for the South West The amber heat health alert is in effect from 12PM on 11/07/2025 until 9AM on 14/07/2025 across the South West. The amber alert has a matrix score of 12. This means: Significant impacts are likely across health and social care services due to the high temperatures, including: a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. There may also be impacts on younger age groups likely increased demand on all health and social care services internal temperatures in care settings (hospitals and care homes) may exceed the recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment the heat affecting the ability of the workforce to deliver services indoor environments overheating increasing the risk to vulnerable people living independently in community and care settings issues managing medicines staffing issues due to external factors (for example, affecting transport) increased demand for power exceeding capacity other sectors starting to observe impacts (for example, travel delays) You can see all the weather health alerts currently in place across England on the UKHSA data dashboard. How to take action if you have a duty to respond Please review the Weather Health Alert System user guidance to explain how you can use the information contained within the alerts to respond to the forecast weather. We provide guidance on how to take action for a range of professional groups with a duty to respond, with action cards available for commissioners, health and social care providers, voluntary and community sector, and national government. Summary action cards are also available below: commissioners voluntary and community sector care homes and other residential settings services delivering care to people in their homes hospitals and other healthcare settings For an overview of the weather alerts in place across England, please check the UKHSA data dashboard. The Met Office may issue National Severe Weather Warnings (for example, extreme heat) with short notice, so you can take appropriate action. Check the Met Office Website to see the National Severe Weather Warnings currently in place. You can also find information of the latest weather forecast on the Met Office website. How to protect yourself if you are vulnerable While exposure to hot weather can affect anyone, some people are particularly at risk. We have published guidance on staying safe during hot weather. Planning for adverse weather All organisations should read the Adverse Weather and Health Plan. This is important if you provide health and social care. The plan explains what you should do before and while a heat health alert is in place. To support local planning, please check the guidance on local resilience forums. About heat health alerts Chief executives of the following organisations in England receive heat health alerts: health trust providers of NHS commissioned care local authorities social care organisations The Heat-Health Alert Service in England runs from 1 June to 30 September each year, in partnership with the Met Office. This is the period when high temperatures are likely to occur. If we observe high temperatures outside of this period, we will issue an extraordinary heat health alert. If this happens, stakeholders should take the usual public health actions. You can share this email with your organisation or sign up to receive alerts using our registration form. We have a separate form if you would like to update your registration details. Please let us know if you have a question or have a problem with your subscription. You can also unsubscribe from this service. UKHSA and the Met Office use the Risk Matrix to assign a risk score for each alert. Users can refer the alert’s risk score to the matrix to understand the severity of the alert and likelihood of its impact. UKSA GRID Updates to heat health alerts UKHSA and the Met Office make daily risk assessments. We will issue a new alert should the alert level change. Further Advice and guidance Flood Alerts and Warnings UKHSA Privacy Notice