Hospitals in England declare critical incidents as machines and IT fail in extreme heat
Extreme heat in England has disrupted NHS hospitals, with radiotherapy and MRI machines failing, IT systems overheating, and cooling units breaking down, leading several trusts to declare critical incidents.
Doctors have raised alarms about the severe impact of extreme heat on NHS hospitals in England. High temperatures have caused failures in radiotherapy machines, MRI scanners, critical IT systems, and cooling units serving entire hospitals.
The heatwave has also triggered a surge in hospital admissions, with many older patients arriving collapsed or dehydrated, leading to severe overcrowding in emergency departments. One physician described conditions as “awful” due to overcrowding and a lack of air conditioning in most wards.
In one geriatric ward, patients endured temperatures as high as 35°C. Even wards with built-in air conditioning were affected, as units were shut down to prevent damage. Staff are struggling with sleep deprivation, mirroring the general population's difficulties during the hot nights.
Several NHS trusts have declared critical incidents. In Portsmouth, Queen Alexandra Hospital declared a critical incident after cooling units failed, causing elevated temperatures and disrupting digital systems, operating theatres, cardiac catheter laboratories, and diagnostic scanning. In Norfolk, hundreds of appointments were cancelled after MRI scanners stopped working; the trust reported no working MRI scanners across its Norwich sites.
Dr. Hilary Williams, clinical vice-president of the Royal College of Physicians, said the situation reveals an NHS dangerously underprepared for heatwaves, with machine and laboratory issues compromising patient safety. She called for system-level changes, including infrastructure upgrades and embedding climate resilience into NHS reform. The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England have been approached for comment.
