Deaths rose 650 above average during UK heatwave – with older people most at risk

By Damian Carrington and Sarah Marsh

Nearly 700 more deaths than average were recorded during the 15-day peak of the heatwave in June and July in England and Wales, according to official statistics.

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“The heatwave will have been associated with a number of excess deaths,” said Dr Adrian Boyle, a consultant at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge. “The people most at risk in a heatwave are the frail elderly with heart or kidney problems.”

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“Although the 2018 data is only preliminary, there seems to have been a concerning increase in the number of deaths,” said Dr Isobel Braithwaite, of the public health charity, Medact. “This fits in with current scientific evidence, which clearly shows that long periods of very warm weather can harm people’s health, particularly at extremes of age and in people with other pre-existing health problems.”

“While working in A&E this summer, I saw patients presenting with heatstroke and other conditions that were probably exacerbated by the hot weather, and this obviously places an additional strain on our already struggling health services,” she said.

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