Nursing staff have repeatedly reported severe heat stress, including nausea, exhaustion and dizziness while carrying out critical patient care.

Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, Helen Morgan, said: ‘Hospitals across the country are breaching NHS maximum temperature limits - putting vulnerable patients at risk, making it harder for NHS staff to provide care and placing even more pressure on a health service that has been stretched to breaking point. It is incredibly and unbelievably dangerous.'

During July, average maximum ward temperatures soared to 31.9°C across reporting facilities, above the NHS safety threshold of 28°C.

Nearly half of the trusts (16) recorded extreme temperatures exceeding 33°C.

The highest temperature of over 40°C was recorded in a staff area at the Northern Care Alliance. 

Gertie Nic Philib, chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said: ‘The wellbeing of our colleagues and patients is our priority.

‘We regularly monitor temperatures across our sites and, during the recent hot weather, recorded a temperature of more than 40°C in a glass observation booth used by staff to monitor patients. We took immediate action and put alternative arrangements in place to ensure colleagues could work in more comfortable conditions.

‘During the heatwaves, we implemented a range of measures, including providing fans, cold drinks and offering alternative uniform options, as well as encouraging regular hydration and rest breaks.'

The Liberal Democrats called for a new NHS Rapid Adaptation Unit to urgently heatproof the most heat-affected hospitals and care homes, a legal requirement for all care homes to provide air conditioning to protect vulnerable residents during heatwave and for hospitals to be updated with modern cooling, ventilation and climate-resilient infrastructure, while retrofitting older NHS buildings, to withstand future heatwaves.