Health cost of heatwave

Fifth of hospitals forced to cancel ops

- Steph Spyro

ONE in five hospitals cancelled elective surgeries during last summer's heatwave, as experts warned of future disruption due to climate change.

A further third of hospitals would have had to cancel operations if the record-breaking temperatures continued because NHS buildings could not withstand extreme heat, a study from the University of Birmingham found.

Study co-author James Glasbey said: "Even short heatwaves may result in widespread disruption to surgical services in the UK.