The UK Health Security Agency has issued a yellow heat-health alert for the South East, which covers Reading Borough.
The alert is in effect from 3pm on 17 June 2026 until 8pm on 22 June 2026 across the South East. The yellow alert has a matrix score of 7. This means that minor impacts are likely across health and social care services, including:
- increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people
- greater risk to life of vulnerable people
- increased potential for indoor environments to become very warm
- water-related incidents may increase, including risks from cold-water shock and drowning
Anyone can feel unwell in hot weather, but some groups face higher risks of bad health. This may be due to their medical conditions, or because of ‘building blocks of health’ factors including housing conditions, working environment, or support in the community.
Hot weather can also put pressure on health and care services as well as outreach services, or disrupt how they are delivered. Many of the risks and impacts are predictable and preventable with the right information and action.
What you need to do (Yellow Alert)
- Share key Beat the Heat messages about staying safe in hot weather and keeping cool at home, with frontline teams and service users;
- Prioritise contact with high‑risk individuals (see list below);
- Review indoor temperatures in high‑risk settings (e.g. care homes, supported housing);
- Ensure that staff know the symptoms of heat exhaustion/heatstroke and escalation routes
- Prepare for possible service pressures (increased demand/staffing impacts)
(See resources below for more detail)
What this means in the Reading context
- Higher risks from hot weather are expected for: older residents, people in poor-quality or high-rise housing (especially flats in urban areas), those with certain health conditions/on specific medications, and those experiencing homelessness.
- Increased demand may be seen in health and social care, homelessness and outreach services.
Actions for specific roles/audiences (see action cards below for further details):
- Frontline staff
- Check on vulnerable people (hydration, ensuring they can maintain a cool environment – Keep cool at home checklist)
- Share and reinforce “Beat the Heat” advice with service users/residents
- Service managers/providers
- Review staff rotas, temperature of indoor environments, and business continuity
- Ensure staff are briefed on escalation and safeguarding risks
- Voluntary and community sector
- Identify and support isolated residents using the resources below
- Share messaging through community networks
- Strategic leads/system partners
- Monitor system pressures
- Consider targeted communications to high-risk groups
Key resources (access via embedded links)
- Public advice: Beat the Heat – information for everyone on how to stay safe in hot weather, including how to keep your home cool:
- General hot weather advice guidance / Easy read version / BSL video / Poster / BSL video
- Keep cool at home checklist / Easy read version / BSL video
- Resources also available in other languages (top right corner)
- Action cards for professionals containing suggested actions for managers following Heat-Health alerts
- Health and social care providers (details / summary PDFs for providers of home care; hospital and community care; care homes and other adult social care settings);
- For service commissioners (details / summary PDF);
- For voluntary and community sector (details / summary PDF)
- Specific guidance for professionals on supporting vulnerable people:
- Clinical advice: Heat exhaustion and heatstroke advice; Heatwave: how to cope in hot weather
Local and partner information:
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- Met Office resources: Latest forecasts / WeatherReady advice & guidance collection
- Water safety: Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents / Royal Life Saving Society UK
- UV and sun safety: Defra’s UV monitoring in Reading / Sunscreen and sun safety
- Children’s safety: Keeping your baby safe in the sun / Child Accident Prevention Trust drowning information / Video on water and window safety / Preventing falls from open windows and balconies
- Advice from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service: Outdoor activities / Wildfires
- Air quality and pollen: Air pollution measurements and forecast / Pollen forecast
- HSE: Temperature in the workplace: Heat stress – HSE
Training for health and care professionals
- The All Our Health series has a bite-size session on climate and health
- Hot weather guidance for carers e-Learning
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Contact the Reading Public Health and Wellbeing team
Thank you for your work supporting the community during hot weather. Please note, we will only issue further updates if alert levels change or new risks emerge.
If you have any questions or feedback, please contact the Reading Public Health and Wellbeing team at Wellbeing.Service@reading.gov.uk.