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Heatwave warning for South and East of England

Community nurses should be prepared to help vulnerable patients in the heatwave predicted for the South and East of England this week.
Heatwave

Community nurses should be prepared to help vulnerable patients in the heatwave predicted for the South and East of England this week.

Heatwave
Nurses undertaking home visits during the heatwave should make sure patients are keeping cool. Picture: Alamy 

A level three heat wave warning has been issued for the East of England, meaning hot weather has arrived already, and a level two warning affects London and the South East.

The heatwave is expected to last until at least Friday and Public Health England (PHE) has issued advice to help people understand the risks involved.

Planning ahead

Earlier in the year PHE set out plans for healthcare professionals dealing with heatwaves and advised NHS workers to familiarise themselves with the plans by June.

Nurses undertaking home visits should make sure patients know how to get medical help, advise them to wear light cotton clothes, and ensure their fridges and fans work, the guidance states.

Care home staff should also be alert to the risk and symptoms involved, and ensure they have readily available supplies of water and rehydration medication.

Extra strain

Dr Thom Waite, consultant in public health medicine and part of the extreme events team at PHE, said:

‘The hot weather will put an extra strain on bodies and people may feel the ill-effects. Each year we hear stories of people who have fallen seriously ill because, even though it’s hotter, they wear clothes that are too warm for hot weather, they may not drink enough or they try to do too much.’

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