Heatwave Plan 2012 published

The Heatwave Plan for England, has been updated and reissued on 18 May 2012 to raise both public and professional awareness. A copy of the Plan, the accompanying factsheets for staff, care home managers and a public information leaflet is available on the DH website. The Plan’s purpose is to enhance resilience in the event of a heatwave. It is an important component of overall emergency planning and will become increasingly relevant in adapting to the impact of climate change.

The plan also includes a companion document, ‘Making the Case’, which contains much of the information previously in the main Heatwave Plan and updates information about the likelihood of heatwaves in the future and long term planning in light of the recent UK Climate Change Risk Assessment: Government Report

There is also significant mention of Long Term Planning, as recent Government assessments have suggested that summers are going to get hotter in the future. Coordinated long-term planning between agencies to protect people and infrastructure from the effects of severe hot weather and thus reduce excess summer illness and death is essential. In the future this could involve health and wellbeing boards and, could be considered within Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs) and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies (JHWSs).