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Work out which room stays coolest

Look at your home before the hottest days arrive. Which windows receive afternoon sun? Can air pass through safely at night? Is there a cooler room where someone could sleep? A top-floor bedroom may be much less comfortable than the room downstairs, especially after several hot days.

UKHSA's home checklist identifies factors such as top-floor flats, limited ventilation and unshaded windows. Check blinds or curtains now. If a landlord needs to repair a window or ventilation system, report the defect early and explain how it affects the room.

Choose a simple daytime routine. Shade windows exposed to the sun and keep them closed when outside air is hotter than indoors. Open them when outside air is cooler, provided doing so is safe. Keep child safety restrictions, security and fall risks in mind. Do not prop open a communal fire door to create a draught.

Avoid adding unnecessary heat

Turn off heating and electrical equipment that is not needed. Consider a cold meal or cooking earlier, rather than running the oven in the hottest part of the afternoon. Check that a fridge still holds food safely; do not repeatedly open it to cool the kitchen.

If using a fan, follow current health guidance as well as its instructions. UKHSA advises using electric fans when air temperature is below 35°C and not aiming them directly at the body. A fan is not a substitute for moving someone out of an excessively hot room, drinking appropriately and checking how they feel.

Identify another cool place you could use, such as a relative's home or an open public building. Check opening hours, access and the journey. A long walk in the heat to a building that closes shortly after arrival is not a good fallback. Bring water and essential personal items.

Change the day's timetable

Move strenuous tasks, exercise and errands to cooler periods where possible. Build in shade and rest. Use sun protection, suitable light clothing and a hat outdoors. A trip that is easy in mild weather may be tiring during prolonged heat, particularly when waiting at an exposed bus stop.

Keep drinking water within reach and drink regularly. If a clinician has told you to restrict fluids, ask them how to manage hot weather rather than changing the limit yourself. Do not wait until a person who needs help is thirsty before offering their usual drinks.

Pack extra water for travel and check for disruption before leaving. Never leave a child, a dependent adult or a pet alone in a parked vehicle. Plan a shaded, accessible waiting place if a lift or bus is delayed. The rail disruption guide covers a journey that cannot be completed as booked.

Make check-ins practical

Older people, babies and young children, and people with certain health conditions or medicines can be more vulnerable. Ask a person who lives alone whether they need help closing blinds, obtaining drinks or moving bedding into a cooler room. A text asking whether they are all right may miss those practical difficulties.

For someone receiving care, agree who will check drinks and room conditions between visits. Keep medicines in the conditions on their packaging and ask a pharmacist if the home becomes too hot for those requirements. Do not put all medicines in the fridge or stop taking them as a general heat precaution.

If cooling or care equipment needs electricity, prepare for a power interruption as well. Keep the provider's contact details handy and agree an alternative location where necessary. A small battery fan cannot replace every powered device in a care plan.

Recognise heat exhaustion and heatstroke

NHS heat illness guidance lists signs of heat exhaustion including headache, dizziness, nausea, thirst and heavy sweating. Move the person somewhere cool, remove unnecessary clothing, cool their skin with water and offer fluids if they can drink safely. Stay with them.

Call 999 for signs of heatstroke, including confusion, a seizure, loss of consciousness, very high temperature or fast breathing. Also call if the person remains unwell after 30 minutes of resting somewhere cool, being cooled and drinking. Do not wait 30 minutes when emergency symptoms are already present.

Continue cooling while waiting for help and follow the call handler's instructions. Do not give drinks to an unconscious person. If you need urgent advice before an emergency develops, use the appropriate local health service. In Northern Ireland this may be the GP or GP out-of-hours service rather than assuming NHS 111 arrangements apply.

Use the right alerts and health advice

The Met Office issues severe weather warnings across the UK. UKHSA's Heat-Health Alerts cover England and are a separate system; see the warning colours guide. You can need cooling measures even when no extreme-heat warning has been issued.

For local advice, use UKHSA and the NHS in England, Ready Scotland's hot-weather guidance, Public Health Wales, and the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland. Follow local notices about transport, services and outdoor restrictions.

After the hot period, note which room stayed usable and what made the day difficult. A working blind, a reachable water jug or an agreed call from a neighbour may be the most valuable improvement before the next one.

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