Responding to a new report from Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine showing record excess death due to heat this summer, Royal College of Nursing Professional Lead for sustainability Rose Gallagher said:

“This is yet more evidence of the devastating human cost of climate change. Extreme heat is deadly, putting both young, old and even those without pre-existing conditions at risk. It exerted record pressure on the NHS, with patients deteriorating in the heat and nursing staff collapsing on wards in impossible conditions. Climate change is a public health emergency.

“Extreme weather conditions caused by climate change are here to stay, and the impact on health cannot continue to be ignored. Governments must take urgent action to slow rising temperatures, including by reducing harmful emissions and investing in clean energy. They must also adapt by ensuring health and care services have effective cooling systems to protect patients and those delivering care. Not acting now will lead to growing excess deaths and unimaginable pressures on services.”

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