Health Secretary Yvette Cooper has thanked NHS staff working through the latest spell of extreme heat and urged people across England to check on vulnerable neighbours as temperatures rise.
The warning comes as the UK Health Security Agency updated its heat-health alerts on Tuesday, with amber alerts now in place across every region of England. The alerts are due to remain in force until 9pm on Friday 14 August.
In a message shared by the Department of Health and Social Care, Cooper praised NHS workers dealing with the health consequences of the exceptionally hot conditions.
The department said:
“With amber alerts in place across England, Yvette Cooper thanks the NHS staff dealing with the health effects of the extreme heat, and reminds everyone to look out for vulnerable neighbours, just as we would in cold weather.”
The latest alerts mean significant impacts are possible across health and social care services, with prolonged high temperatures posing particular risks to older people, babies and young children, and people with existing health conditions.
Cooper’s intervention comes amid another period of unusually severe summer weather. The Met Office has said summer 2026 is on course to become the UK’s hottest on record, while high temperatures and prolonged dry conditions are also contributing to drought and wildfire concerns.
The Health Secretary’s message places particular emphasis on community responsibility during extreme weather.
Just as people are routinely encouraged to check on elderly or vulnerable neighbours during freezing winter conditions, Cooper said the same approach is needed during periods of intense heat.
Hot weather can cause dehydration and heat exhaustion and can worsen existing cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, placing additional pressure on hospitals, ambulance services and other parts of the NHS.
The latest alert follows an already exceptionally challenging summer. UKHSA has warned that 2026 could see the highest number of heat-associated deaths since current records began, highlighting the growing public-health consequences of prolonged periods of extreme temperatures.
Cooper has also recently linked the increasing severity of heatwaves to climate change, arguing that the country must take the health consequences of extreme temperatures increasingly seriously.
With amber alerts now covering the whole of England, the Government is urging people to take sensible precautions, stay hydrated, avoid excessive exposure to the hottest conditions and pay particular attention to relatives, friends and neighbours who may be more vulnerable.
Cooper’s message is that extreme heat must increasingly be treated as a serious public-health issue — and that looking out for one another during a heatwave should become as normal as doing so during the coldest days of winter.
