NHS faces 'more challenging' winter after summer of heatwaves, Yvette Cooper warns

The NHS faces a "more challenging" winter than normal after this summer's record-breaking heat, the health secretary has warned.

Yvette Cooper made the warning as she announced a £140m boost for urgent care in England, saying that the health service has been preparing since July to deal with the impact of seasonal illnesses.

"Winter will be more challenging for our NHS this year, after such a heavy summer," she said.

"That's why we have been preparing early and investing in extra urgent care capacity to help get patients the care they need."

The warning and funding come after this summer's five heatwaves - some of which broke heat records - placed excess strain on the NHS.

According to the government, there were close to 7.3 million people attending A&E between June and August, a figure that was the highest ever for a summer period.

And in July, the UK Health Security Agency said it "is likely that 2026 could see the highest number of heat-associated deaths on record", estimating at the time that there were 2,877 deaths linked to the hot weather during two heatwaves in May and June this year.

There were then three further heatwaves until August.

Emma Rowland, NHS executive director for performance and delivery, said in a statement: "We know this winter will be tough for the NHS and we're doing everything we can to reduce pressure on our emergency departments and make sure patients get the care they need, while protecting our staff.

"Investment in same-day emergency care and urgent treatment centres will help more patients get the right care in the right place, at the right time."

She also urged the public to make sure they get vaccinated against flu and other winter viruses if they are eligible.

Ms Cooper said that the £140m will be spent on 14 schemes across the country, including new urgent care centres, ambulance fleets and upgrades to emergency departments.

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It follows experts' September warning of a "twin crisis" facing the NHS, with record summer temperatures combining with seasonal winter illnesses such as flu and norovirus.

Earlier in October, NHS national medical director Professor Frankie Swords also said that hospitals were showing "ominous" signs of an early flu season, adding that hospital admissions for the virus were the "highest" she could remember for the time of year, coinciding with an expected increase in COVID admissions.

(c) Sky News 2026: NHS faces 'more challenging' winter after summer of heatwaves, Yvette Cooper warns