Third Hospitals Working Group (HWG) meeting

Chaired by Professor Shakoor Hajat (LSHTM), the HWG held its third meeting on 20 October 2026 brought together 25 attendees from the HEARTH team and representatives from national healthcare bodies (NHS England, NHS Wales, NHS Property Services), acute and community healthcare trusts (Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Cardiff NHS, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust - GOSH), central government and public health (DHSC, UKHSA), trade bodies (British Blind and Shutter Association - BBSA), UK department of Health, and academic institutions. 

The session focused on evaluating healthcare heat resilience and identifying practical adaptation opportunities across NHS trusts, with discussions highlighting survey evidence from Welsh hospitals showing a rise in heat-related service disruptions (43.8%) and staff health impacts (36.4%) during 2026 heatwaves, alongside a new framework cataloguing 105 adaptation measures across passive, behavioral, green, and mechanical categories.