Second Care Setting Working Group meeting

The second Care Settings Working Group (CSWG) meeting, chaired by Professor Mike Davies, held on 8 June 2026.  The meeting convened to review the latest Well-Adapted UK report alongside HEARTH’s ongoing research into care settings, specifically focusing on data surrounding excess summer deaths in care homes, followed by a collaborative discussion on integrating these insights into future policy.

The meeting had 20 participants from academia, public sector, housing organisations and third-sector partners, and focused on the following key points:

• Update on the Well-Adapted UK (CCRA4) report, highlighting escalating heat risks and adaptation priorities for vulnerable populations. 

• HEARTH update on research across care settings with early findings presented on monitoring during May heatwave.

• Presentation on England's Extra-Care Housing Stock Characterisation.

• Introduction to the Social-Decarb Project, exploring low-carbon social care pathways and links with HEARTH research.

• Discussion of opportunities for collaboration across adaptation, mitigation, policy and practice. 

Key messages and strategic priorities of the CSWG second meeting:

• Policy and  scope expansion: The Well-Adapted UK report underscores the critical need to protect vulnerable populations via heat-resilient buildings. Moving forward, the working group will expand its scope to consider all care settings—including home and domiciliary care—rather than focusing solely on traditional care homes.

• Emerging socio-economic risks: Summer fuel poverty has been identified as a rising risk, directly hindering a household's financial capacity to stay cool during extreme heat events.

• Stakeholder engagement: There is an urgent requirement for deeper strategic engagement with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the Climate Change Committee (CCC) to address social care resilience, overheating, and adaptation policies.

• Field monitoring insights (May 2026): Early data from the Wallingford extra-care scheme revealed elevated indoor temperatures during the May 2026 heatwave. The most severe overheating occurred in top-floor, south-facing flats, with resident feedback singling out poor airflow and constrained natural ventilation as major drivers.

• Operational next steps: Future efforts must focus on a deeper understanding of how building design, everyday operations, and facilities management directly influence overheating risks across extra-care and supported housing infrastructure.