Hundreds of NHS operations cancelled in summer heatwaves, figures show
More than 1,000 operations at NHS hospitals were cancelled because of the heat during record-breaking heatwaves in May and June, figures show.
Freedom of Information requests by climate and energy publication Carbon Brief reveal hip and knee replacements, heart, eye and skin cancer operations – and even a small number for “life threatening conditions” – were cancelled in the heat.
Carbon Brief said experts warned that high temperatures can stop the ventilation systems that control operating theatres working, raising the risk of infection as well as affecting equipment and putting pressure on staff in protective clothing.
Heatwaves in May and June saw temperatures reach new records for the time of year, with the June heatwave prompting a rare “red warning” for extreme heat from the Met Office, closing schools and disrupting transport, while A&E and ambulance services faced record demand over the summer.
Carbon Brief requested information from 140 NHS trusts and health boards in England and Wales on all the operations that were cancelled due to extreme heat during the May and June heatwaves when amber and red heat warnings were in place.
In total, 59 trusts responded with details of the impacts of heat on operations, which revealed 1,110 heat-related cancellations across the 17-day period covering May 22-28 and June 18-27.
Carbon Brief says the number is likely to be a significant underestimate, as less than half the trusts approached provided details of heat-related cancellations, with many saying they did not record the data.
Trusts provided specific details for 596 of the cancelled surgeries, revealing they included 167 orthopaedic operations such as knee and hip replacements, as well as heart, eye and skin cancer procedures.
Nearly all of the cancelled operations were “elective”, but at least 10 emergency surgeries for life threatening conditions had to be cancelled.
And 18 surgeries had to be abandoned mid-way through due to the heat, the figures show.
Many of the hardest-hit hospitals were in southern England where temperatures were the highest, the FOI shows.
The UK is facing increasing extremes such as heatwaves and droughts because of climate change, which is driven mostly by burning fossil fuels for power, heating and transport – a situation which will continue to worsen until climate-warming emissions are cut to zero overall, known as “net zero”.
The independent advisory Climate Change Committee has called for measures to adapt to the worsening conditions including installing cooling such as air conditioning in hospitals by 2035.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the figures reinforced the importance of action announced by Health Secretary Yvette Cooper to prepare the NHS better for summer heatwaves in the future.
The spokesperson said: “In her statement on Wednesday, she announced a significant package of funding to improve the safety of hospitals across the country, including an initial £32 million to improve cooling and ventilation systems, and strengthen hospitals’ resilience to extreme heat.
“We have also launched a new heat taskforce, which will examine the impact of extreme heat on vulnerable groups and ensure future planning for the heat of summer is placed on the same footing as planning for the pressures of winter.”
Tim Lane, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), said surgeons had reported that extreme heat, ageing ventilation systems and deteriorating hospital buildings were making it harder to keep operating theatres running and patients treated on time this summer.
He said: “When an operation is cancelled, patients face extra pain, anxiety and uncertainty as they wait for a new date.
“Many will have already arranged time off work and care responsibilities. Cancellations also put further pressure on NHS services, with lost theatre time and delays that can affect waiting lists for months.
“With too many crumbling NHS buildings, the first allocation from the Government’s NHS estate safety fund, announced this week, comes at a critical time.”
He added that investing in cooling, ventilation and other measures to make hospitals more resilient to heat was a “positive start”.
Angharad Hopkinson, Greenpeace UK political campaigner, said: “Adapting to extreme heat is vital to keep people safe today, but we cannot ignore the root cause and just treat the symptoms.
“The most effective preventative medicine is a swift exit from fossil fuels, beginning with the rejection of new oil and gas fields like Rosebank and Jackdaw.
“We need a transition to renewables and clean technologies that safeguard vulnerable people, workers and communities, because true protection means tackling the cause.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub