Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that care homes in Lewes constituency remain safe and operational during periods of extreme heat.

Adult social care services are largely delivered through an outsourced market of commercial providers and charities. Local authorities must ensure these services remain sustainable and deliver high-quality care, including during adverse weather.

We expect all adult social care providers to follow Government guidance, set out in the UK Health Security Agency’s Adverse Weather and Health Plan. The plan sets out how health and social care organisations, local authorities and wider partners should prepare for and respond to risks such as extreme heat, cold, flooding and droughts. Supporting materials include heat-health alert action cards for care managers in residential settings to aid preparation and response.