Top tips to stay safe and well:

It is vital that everyone stays hydrated, particularly in hot weather. However, older people are more susceptible to dehydration. The ability to conserve water lessens as we get older and we can become less aware of being thirsty and have difficulty adjusting to temperature changes. 

You should top up with water regularly to avoid feeling tired or confused. Adults should aim for 1.5 to 2 litres (6 to 8 glasses) of liquid intake per day. This should be drank throughout the day, rather than large amounts in one go. A straw can be helpful, as can taking drinks from small glasses.

Sunburn increases your risk of skin cancer. Sunburn doesn't just happen on holiday - you can burn in the UK too, even when it's cloudy. There's no safe or healthy way to get a tan. A tan doesn't protect your skin from the sun's harmful effects, so you must make sure sunscreen is used.

Aim to strike a balance between protecting yourself from the sun and getting enough vitamin D from sunlight with short regular time spent outdoors.

Heat exhaustion and heatstroke

If you or someone else feels unwell, dizzy, anxious, very thirsty, or are experiencing have painful muscle spasms, this could be a sign of heat exhaustion.

Heat exhaustion is not usually serious if you can cool down within 30 minutes. To cool down, rest immediately in a cool place, drink plenty of water and use rehydration solutions if suitable. If you are unable to cool down after 30 minutes, you could be suffering from heatstroke.

Heatstroke is an advanced form of hyperthermia, that can be life threatening. Look out for symptoms of heatstroke such as body temperature over 104 degrees, headache, nausea, dry skin and no sweating, agitation, and heavy breathing.

The symptoms are often the same in adults and children, although children may become floppy and sleepy. Heatstroke needs to be treated as an emergency.

Find out more about the symptoms and treatment for heat exhaustion and heatstroke on the NHS website.

Daily exercise is important to help you keep fit and well. Taking exercise each day, even just a walk out in the fresh air, helps you stay strong and healthy.

It lowers your risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. It also has real benefits to your mental health, boosting your self-esteem and improving your sleep.

Exercise also helps you to avoid falls, particularly exercise that builds strength and balance.

During the summer, avoid or limit strenuous activity when it is very hot outside, or keep outdoor activity such as sports, DIY or gardening to cooler parts of the day.

It’s important that anyone living with a long-term health condition such as COPD, heart problems or diabetes learns to manage the condition. This is especially important during warmer weather where you may struggle in the heat, which can make symptoms worse.

Keep medicines below 25°C or in the refrigerator. Always read the storage instructions on the packaging.

Many prescription medicines can reduce your tolerance to heat. Keep taking your medicines and seek medical advice.

If you decide to take a swim outdoors in the sea, a pool, a river or lake to keep cool, make sure it’s a safe place to swim.

Look out for warning signs and hidden dangers. Children should never swim unaccompanied.

Find out more about water safety on the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) website. 

Never leave anyone in a closed, stationary vehicle during hot weather.

Make regular checks on people living alone, elderly or ill people, vulnerable family, friends and neighbours, and very young people during periods of extreme heat. Make sure they are able to keep cool.

Be alert and seek medical help if someone is unwell.

Summer is a great time to enjoy a BBQ or picnic with family and friends. Stay safe and remember that warm weather and outdoor cooking can create the perfect conditions for bacteria to grow.

Food poisoning can be avoided by following good food hygiene practices and avoiding cross-contamination. This is most likely to happen when raw food touches or drips onto ready-to-eat food, utensils, or surfaces. Keep chilled food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible during preparation and chilled and out of the sun until serving.

If you have food left over, cover and cool cooked foods quickly at room temperature. Place them in a fridge or cool bag within one to two hours and consume within 48 hours. If you’re reheating anything, only reheat it once and make sure it’s piping hot before serving.

Find out more about food and BBQ safety on the Food Standard Agency's website.

The UK is prone to extreme weather, from heavy rain to heatwaves, keep up to date with weather and temperature updates via the Met Office (the national meteorological service for the UK). Always check the weather forecast and plan ahead.

Never leave animals in cars, conservatories, outbuildings or caravans on a warm day, even if it's just for a short while.

When it's 22°C outside, temperatures can quickly rise to 47°C in these environments, which can be deadly.

You can also keep your pets safe by:

• Making sure they have shade
• Giving them constant access to fresh water
• Putting ice cubes in their water bowl
• Giving them damp towels to lie on

Find out more about caring for your pets in hot weather on the RSPCA's website.

Vaccinations are the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our children against ill health. 

It is important that vaccines are given on time for the best protection. To prepare your child for returning to school, college or university in September, make sure they are up to date with the vaccinations they need.

Find out more about vaccinations on the NHS website.

Older people and those with underlying medical conditions are particularly vulnerable to the effects of hot weather. This means that people living in care homes, those who are unable to care for themselves or those who require support in their daily activities are at higher risk of becoming unwell from hot weather.

Hot weather can cause older people to become unwell through dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke and can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, lung problems and other diseases.

Air pollution combined with hot weather can also worsen symptoms for people with existing breathing problems or heart conditions. 

Staff should be trained on how to cool individuals down and monitor for heat-related illnesses. 

Responding to a heat health alert

The alerts are given a colour - yellow, amber or red based on the combination of the impact the weather conditions could have, and the likelihood of those impacts being realised. These assessments are made in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office. 

Prevent dehydration

• Ensure residents are drinking enough fluids throughout the day, supporting those who are unable to drink unaided, and encouraging them to drink overnight.
• Ensure that water and ice are widely available, and that there is a good choice of suitable drinks available. Water and diluted squash or lower fat milks are good choices. Limit fruit juice, smoothies, and soft drinks, which can be high in sugar and dehydrate the body. 

Keep the people you care for cool

• Move the most vulnerable residents to the coolest rooms, a cool room should ideally be less than 26 degrees.
• Check that those you care for wear lightweight, loose-fitting, light-coloured clothes.
• For those who can’t be moved, take actions to cool them down, for example liquids, cool wipes and look out for signs of dehydration or heat-related illnesses.
• Be aware that plastic pads and mattresses can make someone warmer during hot weather and consider alternatives.
• Check that you have an adequate supply of fans and sponges (or similar), and that these are maintained in line with the NHS's national standards of healthcare cleanliness.
• Use electric fans if the air temperature is below 35°C, but avoid aiming them directly at people as this can cause dehydration. 

Keeping the environment cool

• Reduce indoor heat by turning off non-essential appliances and heating systems. Close windows during the day when it's hotter outside than inside and open them at night when it's cooler. Close any external shutters or shades, blinds and curtains – this keeps cooler air in, and hotter air out.
• Consider encouraging family members to visit in mornings and evenings to prevent extra heat during the afternoon from increased numbers of people being present
• Ensure that there is a cool room or area (able to be maintained below 26°C) where people can go to cool down – cool areas can be developed with appropriate indoor and outdoor shading, ventilation, the use of indoor and outdoor plants and, if necessary, air conditioning.

Protect those you care for from the sun

• Try to keep residents inside or in the shade between 11am to 3pm when the sun is the strongest.
• If going outside, ensure residents wear lightweight, loose fitting, light coloured clothes, a hat and sunglasses
• Sun cream should be applied generously and reapplied frequently. The NHS recommends that this should be with a sun protection factor of at least 30 , and 4 or 5 star UVA protection.

Medication

• Most medicines should be kept below 25°C, so they should be stored somewhere cool, dry, out of direct sunlight and away from windowsills. Medicines should only be stored in the in fridge if specified. The NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service has further guidance on medicines storage. 

Resources

• UKHSA Action Cards
• Supporting vulnerable people
• Beat the heat: staying safe in hot weather
• Heatwave: how to cope in hot weather
• Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
• Hydration 

Children are more susceptible to high temperatures than adults. Children cannot control their body temperature as efficiently as adults during hot weather because they do not sweat as much and so can be at risk of ill-health from heat. 

Hot weather can cause children and young people to become unwell through dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

The UKHSA’s ‘Beat the Heat’ guidance provides advice for everyone on how to stay safe during hot weather. This guidance can help education and early years staff to prepare for hot weather and the actions they can take to keep themselves and those they care for safe and well during hot temperatures.

Responding to a heat health alert

The alerts are given a colour - yellow, amber or red based on the combination of the impact the weather conditions could have, and the likelihood of those impacts being realised. These assessments are made in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office. 

Protecting Children outdoors

• Encourage children playing outdoors to stay in the shade as much as possible, children should wear loose, light-coloured clothing to help keep cool and sunhats with wide brims to avoid sunburn. Ensure children are using sunscreen, at least factor 15 with UVA protection.
• Children should not take part in physical activity on very hot days, such as when temperatures are in excess of 30°C.

Prevent Dehydration

• Encourage children to drink fluids regularly, children may not remember to have a drink by themselves.
• Check that children have their water bottles filled up and encourage them to drink more than usual when conditions are hot and if they are playing outside.

Keeping the classroom cool

• Open windows as early as possible in the morning before children arrive to let cool the room down but close windows when the outdoor air becomes warmer than the air indoors
• Close indoor blinds or curtains, but do not let them block window ventilation
• Switch off all electrical equipment, including computers, monitors and printers when not in use – equipment should not be left in ‘standby mode’ as this generates heat. Keep the use of electric lighting to a minimum
• If possible, use those classrooms or other spaces which are less likely to overheat, and adjust the layout of teaching spaces to avoid direct sunlight on children
• If necessary, consider rearranging play times to avoid very hot conditions
• Fans can be used to increase air movement if temperatures are below 35°C – at temperatures above 35°C fans may not prevent heat-related illness and may worsen dehydration

Resources 

• Beat the heat: staying safe in hot weather
• Heatwave: how to cope in hot weather
• Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
• Hydration
• Looking after children and those in early years settings before and during hot weather

Hot weather can cause those experiencing homelessness to become unwell through dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke

People experiencing homelessness can be more at risk from hot weather as they are more likely to be outside exposed to the heat, they may not be able to take the recommended preventative steps, and they are likely to be more vulnerable to the effect of heat due to underlying health conditions. 

Given the increasing frequency of hot weather, it is advisable to develop emergency response plans for individuals who are experiencing homelessness

Preparing for a health heat alert

The alerts are given a colour - yellow, amber or red based on the combination of the impact the weather conditions could have, and the likelihood of those impacts being realised. These assessments are made in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office. 

• Prioritise available cool spaces and accommodation for those most at risk during hot weather
• Share locations of cool spaces like libraries, community centers, shaded areas in parks and public water fountains
• Where possible extend opening hours of night- only hostels to provide extra daytime protection
• If relevant to the service you provide, ensure you have sufficient sunscreen, sun hats and light cool clothing for distribution. Distribute cool fluids and appropriate food.
• Permanent services are more likely to be used than those that are stood up and down quickly, such as an established shelter, with air conditioning versus a temporary cooling shelter. Suggestions on how to make buildings cooler can be found with in the beat the heat guidance on the GOV.UK website.  
• Ensure all information shared is in accessible formats and delivered by trusted services and individuals

Resources

• Beat the heat: staying safe in hot weather
• Heatwave: how to cope in hot weather
• Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
• Hydration
• Adverse Weather and Health Plan
• Supporting people experiencing homelessness and sleeping rough during hot weather