Shutterstock.com
The Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists (GHP) has urged all pharmacists to formally report how rising UK temperatures are affecting their work, in comments to The Pharmaceutical Journal.
The call follows a report published earlier in June 2025 by the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, which warned that 90% of NHS buildings are vulnerable to overheating.
The alliance also reported that some hospital wards have recorded indoor temperatures exceeding 30°C, even when outdoor temperatures were just 22°C.
This is well above NHS England’s recommended maximum temperature of 28°C for hospital wards, and 25°C for sensitive areas like recovery or birthing rooms.
In England, the number of overheating incidents in NHS sites nearly doubled from 2,980 in 2016/2017 to 5,554 in 2021/2022, the report found.
There is currently no equivalent system in place to track overheating incidents in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Speaking to The Pharmaceutical Journal, a spokesperson for the GHP council said: “Our ageing secondary care infrastructure is in dire need of an overhaul to meet ambitions for NHS net zero and prepare for more frequent weather extremes.”
They encouraged hospital and community pharmacy staff to submit formal incident reports where heat affects their ability to work, adding: “This captures and evidences where buildings are unfit for purpose. Staff should ensure they take full and adequate rest breaks with plenty of water and report any pushback to this to a union representative.”
The GHP also raised concerns about medicines storage, which typically require storage below 25°C.
Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), told The Pharmaceutical Journal: “Rising temperatures pose a challenge for pharmacy teams and the safe storage of medicines across the NHS. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can potentially degrade medicines, making them less effective.
“Overheated working environments can affect the wellbeing of pharmacy teams. To counter the impact of climate change, it’s vital that pharmacy facilities are equipped to manage heat risks, both to protect medicines and to ensure safe, supportive conditions for staff.”
Gareth Jones, director of corporate affairs at the National Pharmacy Association, also commented: “Pharmacists are advised to implement procedures that minimise medicines’ exposure to excessive heat, ensure premises are well-ventilated and cool, and regularly review storage locations to avoid hot spots and direct sunlight.”
He added that if NHS investment is made to help other settings adapt to extreme heat, “this should also extend to community pharmacy”.
Responding to the UK Health Alliance’s findings, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “The UK government recognises the need to mitigate the impacts of climate change and continues to support the health and social care sector to improve its resilience and preparedness.
“In February, NHS England published guidance setting out the key actions each trust should take to improve their resilience to climate impacts. In addition, as part of Care Quality Commission assessments and through the NHS standard contract, stronger requirements have also been placed on providers to adapt healthcare premises to overheating and extreme weather risks.”
Read more: Learn how pharmacists can provide effective support for heat-vulnerable individuals — ‘Heat-related illnesses: preparing for periods of high temperatures‘
