Dr Ruth Hussey OBE
Prif Swyddog Meddygol/Cyfarwyddwr Meddygol, GIG Cymru
Chief Medical Officer/Medical Director NHS Wales
19 June
2013 Dear Colleague
Heatwave Plan for Wales – A Framework for Preparedness and Response
This letter reminds you of the Welsh Government’s Heatwave Plan for Wales which
provides guidance to steer multi-agency preparedness and response in the event of a
heatwave. It can be found on the Welsh Government’s website at
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/health/improvement/seasonal/heatwave/?lang=en
In summary, it aims to alert health, social care, other care agencies and members of the
public to the dangers of excessive heat, and provide a framework to guide and support coordinated collaborative action at local, regional and national levels in response to extreme
heat and heatwave conditions in Wales.
Ensuring that effective plans are in place to respond in the event of a heatwave is an
important component of overall emergency planning, and also as a mitigatory action in
response to the impact of climate change. A robust system for dealing with potential
heatwave situations in Wales is important given predictions that summers in future will
become hotter. The Heatwave Plan for Wales was first introduced in Summer 2009 and at
that time the then Minister for Health and Social Services asked NHS Bodies, Local Health
Boards, Local Authorities and all other stakeholder agencies in Wales to incorporate this
guidance into their own plans, setting out clearly the specific preparations and actions they
should take in the event of a heatwave or conditions of extreme heat. Those plans should be
revisited each year to ensure they remain valid and should identify appropriate persons to be
contacted in the event of an emergency.
The response actions for all stakeholders in Wales are set out in a flowchart at page 7 of the
Heatwave Plan for Wales and are covered in more detail at pages 8 to16. Please note,
however, that for Summer 2013 due to financial restraints there will not be any Heatwave
Alert emails issued by the Met Office on behalf of the Welsh Government. You are therefore
asked to be vigilant over the summer months, taking responsibility for monitoring the media,
utilising public weather services and responding as necessary. A list of weather services
available via the Met Office services and relevant weblinks are attached at Annex A.
The Welsh Government website has been updated to take account of this change to the
Heatwave Alert service. I would stress that the long-term planning and mitigatory advice
contained in the Plan and related heatwave guidance for healthcare professionals and care
managers remains valid. In the event of hot weather occurring in Wales over the summer
period, I will arrange for press releases to be issued to remind the public of appropriate actions
to conserve health. However, no direct advance Met Office warnings of imminent hot weather
will be issued to stakeholders in Wales.
Ffon/Tel: 029 2082
3911 Parc Cathays, Caerdydd CF10 3NQ Cathays Park, Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
Ebost/Email:ruth.hussey@wales.gsi.gov.uk
I wish to thank you in advance for your co-operation in this matter and for taking forward any
appropriate actions as necessary.
Any queries relating to this letter should be addressed to:
Stephen Wall
Health Protection Division
Department for Public Health and Health Professions
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
Email: stephen.wall@wales.gsi.gov.uk
Yours faithfully
Dr Ruth Hussey OBE
Chief Medical Officer
Annex A
Met Office Online Weather Services
A 5 day summary forecast searchable to the nearest town/weather station which includes
temperature, humidity and UV index information is available here:
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/forecast/#?tab=fiveDay
General service for the public
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/
Hot weather and health
General information pages on health in hot weather, including pollen and UV forecasts, advice
on sun health.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/health/yourhealth/hot-weather-and-health
Heat Health
The heat-health watch page of the Met Office website will still be accessible, and information
will be given for England only and Wales but in future Wales will be one of the greyed-out
“region not included.”
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/heat-health/
Products and Services for Sectors
Specific services that health services, local authorities and contingency planners can access,
although it is not readily clear if all of these are free.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/services
Health Professionals
Pages for health professionals which include an information service for patients with Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which is affected by the weather. This is a
chargeable, commissioned service for health authorities to assist registered patients.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/health/professionals
Public Sector
These pages include the Hazard Manager service, which many Category 1 and 2 organisations
may already subscibe to. However, please note this service does not provide information on
extreme hot weather.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public-sector
Local Authorities
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/publicsector/local-authorities
Contingency Planners
A 3 month summary weather outlook to aid contingency planning - although the information is
very generalised due to its long term nature. This outlook report is already circulated by the Met
Office to Contingency Planners in Wales and to the Welsh Government Emergency Planning
Team.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/publicsector/contingency-planners
Weather to mobile phones
A free service whereby individuals can receive current weather forecasts direct to mobile
phones.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/services/media/mobilevideo