The Government must act to protect people with severe mental illness from future heatwaves, according to a new report from Centre for Mental Health, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of York.
‘Hotter summers, hidden harms’ finds that psychiatric medications, outdated mental health service buildings, poverty and the daily work of staying well all represent distinct challenges for people living with severe mental illness during periods of extreme heat. People with severe mental illness die 15 to 20 years earlier than the general population, often from heart and lung conditions that are exacerbated by heat.
The NHS mental health estate is among some of the most aged across the health service in England. The inpatient environment is also unique, with long- and medium-stay patients at increased risk from heat as they often cannot open windows or leave the ward to cool down. Growing backlog maintenance compounds the problem.
Call for action
The report says the Government’s forthcoming mental health strategy for England is an opportunity to signal the importance of climate adaptation in mental health services. It can directly address the climate-related risks faced by people with a severe mental illness by funding essential changes to inpatient and community facilities before summer 2027 and by building climate resilience into the new neighbourhood centres that are being built.
The reports calls on the strategy to set out dedicated funding for climate adaptation in mental health settings, allowing Trusts and Integrated Care Boards, alongside primary care, local authorities and voluntary sector partners to take local action now. Work should start on adapting mental health inpatient and community environments, supported by dedicated funding, to prepare for summer 2027. Essential tasks should include addressing temperatures on wards at night, which affect the sleep and recovery of patients as well as the conditions in which staff work. Other initiatives focus on supporting people to adapt their homes and ensuring there are ‘cool spaces’ available in the community for people with severe mental illness.
Andy Bell, Chief Executive of Centre for Mental Health, says: “Our changing climate is a major health issue. This summer, people using mental health services faced record high temperatures without additional support, and sometimes in environments that weren’t safe or suitable. The NHS must make mental health services climate resilient, starting work now to be ready for next summer. The Government’s mental health strategy can set out the essential actions so that people with mental health conditions are not put at high risk in future heatwaves.”
