People working in homelessness services, or supporting people who are homeless in other ways, need to be aware of the risks to health that hot weather brings. Temperatures around 25°C and over are associated with excess summer deaths.
The UK Health Security Agency Heatwave Plan for England warns that: “in contrast to deaths associated with cold snaps in winter, the rise in mortality as a result of very warm weather follows very sharply – within one or two days of the temperature rising.”
Being prepared and acting early are key to protecting people’s health. Deaths may be from underlying illnesses made worse by heat – primarily lung and heart diseases – or from heat specific conditions, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Mental ill health may also worsen during hot weather.