Nurses are collapsing during shifts amid “inhumane and impossible” conditions caused by extreme heat, their union has warned, as Andy Burnham promised to grapple with “the bigger questions” of climate adaptation.
Amid growing pressure from Labour backbenches to fully acknowledge the urgency of adaptation measures as the climate crisis bites, Burnham said he was for now focusing on the immediate crises caused by an ongoing summer of extreme heat.
Speaking after a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee, Burnham refused to say if the summer had made the case against renewed drilling in the North Sea, which his government is considering.
“It is really important that we deal today with the situation that we are in right now and we focus on making sure that we have the serious incidents under control across the country, and those incidents are under control,” he said.
“The bigger questions obviously will come at the right moment in time,” he added.
An amber warning for heat across large parts of England will come into force again on Thursday morning, with temperatures forecast to reach 36C or potentially higher.
Train passengers on some networks are being warned by rail operators to only travel if the journey is vital, saying services are likely to be disrupted because of the weather.
Three-quarters of England is now officially in drought. Firefighters are continuing to tackle a blaze in the New Forest in Hampshire, with warnings across parts of eastern and southern Scotland about a very high risk of wildfires.
With the number of days of 30C-plus heat in the UK already at a new record of 35, the Royal College of Nursing became the latest union to warn of unsafe working conditions for many members in hospital wards and care homes.
The RCN, which runs an advice hotline, said some staff had collapsed. Others were left dizzy, nauseous or at risk of fainting while dripping with sweat “from head to toe”. They also faced pressure to keep elderly and vulnerable patients safe alongside keeping medications cool.
Working within a critical care unit in an NHS hospital in the south-west of England, a 37-year-old nurse told the Guardian her ward had reached temperatures of more than 30C and staff were struggling in the conditions.
“Our ward doesn’t have air conditioning, and so we’re all really struggling. We’ve had hot summers before, but I can’t remember ever working in conditions like these back to back,” she said.
Another nurse, working in a community health centre in England, said: “It gets to the point you dread going to work, especially when wearing PPE and providing patient care. We drip with sweat from head to toe.”
Prof Nicola Ranger, the general secretary and chief executive of the RCN, said that these testimonies were a “wake-up call”, calling for an urgent programme to install air conditioning, improve ventilation and ensure heat-appropriate uniforms were available.
On Monday, the Fire Brigades Union warned that firefighters needed new equipment and resources to face the growing threats from a climate changing at speed.
According to a freedom of information request submitted by the writer and campaigner Guy Shrubsole, just 20 staff are working on climate adaptation within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The government has been warned by the climate change adaptation committee that it is lagging far behind in terms of adapting to a new climate.
Speaking on Wednesday morning, Burnham raised the idea of a possible ban on disposable barbecues, which are a known fire risk. Later in the day, he said retailers should withdraw them from sale, adding: “Longer term we will look at whether a temporary ban in the summer months is justified.”
One Labour MP, Chris Hinchliff, who had previously warned Burnham about the need to prepare the country for a fast-changing climate, called for more immediate action, saying the summer “has to be a real wake-up call for Westminster”.
Some Labour MPs are also privately concerned that he has as yet not shown he understands the urgency of the issue.
“Adaptation has always been the poor relation in government,” one Labour MP said. “Look how much better we are at getting energy projects off the ground than reservoirs.”
Some MPs argued Burnham took too long to hold a Cobra meeting, with one saying: “He barely talks about the climate crisis. He should be doing as many social media video clips on this as he does on the cost of living crisis.”
Hinchliff, the MP for North East Hertfordshire, said the events of the summer should be enough to spark action.
He said: “It’s a well-recognised fact that our country was built for a climate that no longer exists. It’s putting enormous pressure on our infrastructure, our railways, our schools, our hospitals, and it threatens a real impact on people’s living standards. This has to be one of the top priorities for government.
“It is indisputable that up to now we haven’t treated these issues with the importance that they deserve, and the proof is what we are experiencing.”
Another MP said Burnham should use the subject to his advantage and “lean into climate adaptability”.
“Let Nigel Farage be on the side of the wildfires – he can be the pro-wildfire politician, and Andy can be the anti-wildfire prime minister. This is an opportunity for him to seize,” they added.
Health and social care secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The extreme heat is hitting public health and our NHS. Across the NHS and social care, staff are doing a remarkable job to respond to rising A&E attendances and ambulance call-outs, heat problems among the elderly and difficult working conditions. I want to thank them for all their work.
“But I have also been clear that the NHS now needs to plan for summer pressures in the way we currently plan for winter pressures. That includes making sure buildings are more resilient in these new extreme heat conditions as well as responding to additional patient needs.”
