Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contingency plans his Department has to respond to a (a) heatwave and (b) cold snap in (i) London North West Healthcare NHS Trust area and (ii) the NHS England area.

The annual Heatwave and Cold Weather Plans for England are co-ordinated by Public Health England on behalf of the health and social care system. NHS England, the Local Government Association and other stakeholders support the development and dissemination of the Plans, which are underpinned by dedicated Meteorological Office alerts. These Plans form a central part of the Department’s support in raising both public and professional awareness of the health impacts of severe heat and cold weather. A copy of each Plan has been attached.

In May and October each year respectively, the Heatwave and Cold Weather Plans are sent to all providers and commissioners of health and social care in England, with a covering letter setting out a series of recommended steps to be taken throughout the year, to reduce the harm to health from hot and cold weather. The Plans are also supported by a number of additional guides and leaflets.

In terms of the London North West Healthcare NHS Trust area, each organisation receives the Heatwave and Cold Weather Plans and covering letters, and local plans are set in place for the regional response by NHS England (London). These are incorporated into a trust/provider-specific plan to respond in the event of any severe weather and are linked to local borough response plans.

These local National Health Service plans are assured and updated every year as part of the wider NHS Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response assurance process, and trusts and partner organisations are encouraged to test and exercise these plans regularly. The London North West Healthcare NHS Trust took part in a North West London-wide heatwave exercise in April 2015, which tested the whole system response to a heatwave.