Nurses collapse and suffer seizures on hot wards 'not fit for humans', union warns

Nurses collapse and suffer seizures on hot wards 'not fit for humans', union warns The Royal College of Nursing became the latest union to warn of unsafe working conditions in extreme heat for many staff members in hospital wards and care homes Nurses across England are collapsing at work and even suffering seizures as they are forced to care for patients in extreme heat, The Royal College of Nursing has said. Two record-breaking heatwaves in May and June led to more than 2,800 excess deaths across the country. An amber warning for heat across large parts of England will come into force again on Thursday morning, with temperatures forecast to reach 36C or potentially higher. Train passengers on some networks are being warned by rail operators to only travel if the journey is vital, saying services are likely to be disrupted because of the weather. The Royal College of Nursing became the latest union to warn of unsafe working conditions for many members in hospital wards and care homes. As temperatures continue to soar some nurses have reported seizures and “dripping with sweat from head to toe” as hospitals have been described as “unbearably hot” and “not fit for humans”. RCN chief executive and general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger said: “When nursing staff are collapsing, feeling dizzy, sick or even being admitted to the very hospitals they work in because their workplaces cannot handle the heat, it shows just how badly they are being failed.” The RCN compiled a series of testimonies to its advice line to paint a picture of conditions facing nurses during heatwaves, including: – A nurse in England reported collapsing from dehydration after working a long shift on a ward with no ventilation. They were admitted to the same organisation where they worked. – Pregnant nurses said the temperatures they were forced to work in impacted their health, while two nurses with pre-existing conditions reported seizures due to excessive heat. – One nurse told the RCN their workplace was “not fit for humans” while another described their working environment as “unbearably hot”. – Others reported broken air conditioning, fans or ventilation, with some reporting that they are unable to even open windows. – Multiple nurses reported working in rooms where the temperature was in excess of 30C, with one saying they were forced to work in a place which was 36C. – A nurse working in an NHS cancer service in England reported feeling “nauseous, dizzy and faint” after temperatures exceeded 33C. – A nurse working in a community health centre in England said: “It gets to the point you dread going to work, especially when wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) and providing patient care. We drip with sweat from head to toe.” – Others expressed concern for patients, with one saying the heat impacted surgical patients’ recovery while another said: “We have elderly patients in our clinic, who we are increasingly worried about. We have got to the end of our tether with no support from our immediate seniors.” Prof Ranger said: “These testimonies should be a wake-up call. Swathes of the NHS and social care estate are in disrepair following decades of underinvestment and are utterly unprepared for extreme temperatures. “It’s becoming an impossible and inhumane place to work or receive care, with vulnerable patients, including the elderly and those recovering from surgery, receiving care in temperatures that risk making them sicker. It’s unacceptable. “Employers must also abide by their legal duties to make workplaces safe, by mitigating the risks to staff from the heat. This includes installing air conditioning, improving ventilation, ensuring water and heat-appropriate uniforms are available and guaranteeing risk assessments are a core part of business planning, especially for pregnant or vulnerable workers. “We also need specific actions to protect those working in the community, who often are travelling in hot cars, with poor access to parking and left to walk long distances carrying heavy bags to meet patients.” Meanwhile Matthew Hopkins, director of the NHS Alliance ambulance and acute network, said NHS organisations were pushing for increased capital money from the Government to deal with maintenance of hospital buildings. Speaking on the NHS Alliance’s Health on the Line podcast, he said: “I think for a lot of our members that are running hospitals that are very old and where infrastructure’s really under pressure, many of those hospitals are carrying significant levels of backlog maintenance. “Some of our members tell us that that totals, in some cases, more than £100 million worth of cost. “And inevitably, the boards of those organisations will be regularly discussing and focusing on the risk management associated with the trade-offs that they’re going to have to be dealing with, you know, fixing a roof of a building to make it safe and watertight for winter versus installing air conditioning and potentially the impact on the electrical infrastructure.” Ruth Wilkinson, head of policy and public affairs at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, has outlined proactive steps that employers can take to support their staff better. She said: “Indoor workers, like nurses, can find it just as challenging to work in extreme heat as outdoor workers. This can be due to poor ventilation, lack of cooling infrastructure, and outdated building designs that leave them to cope in stifling conditions. “Heat stress can make it harder for people to work safely and effectively. When it’s too hot, the body has to work harder to stay cool, which can lead to health problems like dehydration, heat exhaustion, or even heat stroke. Employers can take proactive steps to manage these risks and support workers. These can include adjusting work hours, providing cooling stations, and encouraging hydration. It is also recommended that employers analyse the impact of heat stress on operational continuity and supply chain management.” Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The extreme heat is hitting public health and our NHS. Across the NHS and social care, staff are doing a remarkable job to respond to rising A&E attendances and ambulance call-outs, heat problems amongst the elderly and difficult working conditions. I want to thank them for all their work. “But I have also been clear that the NHS now needs to plan for summer pressures in the way we currently plan for winter pressures. That includes making sure buildings are more resilient in these new extreme heat conditions as well as responding to additional patient needs.”