The Met Office and NHS have warned that temperatures across England will be dangerously high both during the day and at night over the next week. This is a genuine health risk for many people, and we urge you to take it seriously.
A heat wave can affect anyone, but the following groups are most vulnerable:
- Older people (especially over 65s)
- Babies and young children (5 and under)
- People with long-term medical conditions, especially people with heart or breathing problems, diabetes, dementia, kidney disease, Parkinson’s disease, mental health issues, or drug and alcohol addiction
- People whose jobs involve manual labour, especially out of doors
- People who work or spend a lot of time outside, especially athletes and walkers
- Homeless people
- People who live alone, or who may be unable to care for themselves
- People who are already affected by the sun or dehydrated (e.g. people who have a diarrhoea or vomiting bug)
- People taking medications that may make them more likely to be badly affected by hot weather. This includes people taking antipsychotics, antidepressants, and other mental health medication
If you fall into any of these groups, it is really important that you take steps to protect yourself from the heat over the following week. Remember, healthcare and the emergency services will be very busy, and may not be able to help you quickly if you need it. So, looking after yourself is even more important.
Please remember that animals are also very badly affected by high temperatures. Make sure to look after any pets as though they were a vulnerable relative, and avoid walking or exercising them in the heat of the day. If the pavement is too hot to rest your hand on for 5 seconds, it is too hot for paws. This is especially important for people with assistance animals – if you need to go out, either do so at a cool part of the day or invest in some boots that protect your dog’s paws from the heat.
You can find BuDS’ tested and proven advice on how to stay cooler in hot weather by clicking the button below. You can also find out more about heatstroke and heat exhaustion symptoms, and what to do if someone might have this dangerous condition.
Please take this opportunity to check on vulnerable people that you know. You could save a life by showing some community spirit.
For more information, visit the UKHSA website for further guidance on staying safe in the hot weather using the button below.