England’s NHS hit record summer demand during five heatwaves, and the Royal College of Nursing heat survey has added pressure to the case for change. NHS England said A&E, ambulance services and NHS 111 all reached their busiest summer levels in June, July and August.
The system recorded 7,268,445 A&E attendances, 240,000 more than in the same months in 2025. Yvette Cooper said extreme demand is no longer confined to winter, and the Department of Health and Social Care set aside £32 million to heat-proof the NHS.
NHS England summer statistics
NHS England published its latest performance statistics on Thursday. They show 2.46 million ambulance callouts over the summer months, up from 2.32 million in the same period last year, while NHS 111 answered just over 3 million calls, more than 100,000 more year-on-year.
The figures point to pressure across services that usually absorb different kinds of demand. A&E saw almost a million more people this summer than in the same period in 2022, a jump that landed alongside five heatwaves and many hospitals struggling to maintain normal care.
Prof Frankie Swords on staff
Prof Frankie Swords said, “Despite a scorching summer which has tested the NHS like never before and seen demand rocket to record levels, staff have risen magnificently to the challenge to deliver for patients”. Her remarks sit alongside the performance figures, which show the strain on services and the level of work carried by staff at the same time.
Sarah Woolnough said, “Extreme heat is now an NHS pressure point, not just a weather story”, and added that the NHS is now facing “a twin crisis, with summer joining winter as a major pressure on services and leaving little room for staff and the system to recover between peak periods.” She also said, “One major factor is climate change. As its effects become more pronounced and record-breaking heatwaves become more frequent, the impacts on people’s health and our health system are becoming more obvious,”.
Heat taskforce and next steps
The Department of Health and Social Care said the £32 million forms part of £1.5 billion in NHS funding and will support extra capacity as well as heat-proofing measures. It also said a heat taskforce has been set up to come up with ideas to help the NHS cope with extreme heat.
Andrew McCracken said, “August was the world’s joint hottest month on record and the health impact is clear to see in hospitals across the country”. He added, “Breathing issues are already the leading cause of emergency admissions in England and it’s likely that this summer increase is in part being driven by respiratory problems.”
That leaves a practical test for the NHS: whether heat-proofing becomes part of routine planning, not a one-off response after a bad summer. Patients in England will feel the difference in the services they try to reach first — A&E, ambulance crews and NHS 111.
