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  "path": "/health/uk-heatwave-hospitals-critical-incidents-cooling-system-failure",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-25T10:12:42.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Darlington nurses 'delighted' after winning huge payout in NHS row over trans colleague",
    "Darlington nurses awarded £187,000 after being forced to share changing room with trans woman",
    "How to live longer: Scientists find exact amount of walking needed to counter a sedentary day",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nExtreme weather conditions in the United Kingdom have triggered widespread disruptions to health services, with hospitals among the worst hit.\n\nThe Met Office issued a rare red warning for extreme heat as the nation experiences exceptionally hot and humid conditions, with temperatures provisionally hitting 36.1°C in Gosport, Hampshire, setting a record for June.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe heat is expected to continue through Thursday and Friday and forecasters have even warned that the record could be broken again.\n\nA report published last year found that nine in 10 NHS buildings are ill-equipped to handle prolonged spells of extreme heat.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nNow several trusts have declared critical incidents as cooling systems powering MRI scanners, operating theatres and laboratories have broken down under the strain.\n\nBoth Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH) and Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth have declared critical incidents, with at least 254 outpatients cancelled so far.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nNNUH currently has no working scanners. Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust said the failure of multiple chiller units has pushed temperatures up across several areas, disrupting digital systems and clinical services, including theatres, cardiac catheter labs and diagnostic scanning.\n\nEngineers are working to restore systems, and patients will be contacted directly if their appointments are affected.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Darlington nurses 'delighted' after winning huge payout in NHS row over trans colleague\n  * Darlington nurses awarded £187,000 after being forced to share changing room with trans woman\n  * How to live longer: Scientists find exact amount of walking needed to counter a sedentary day\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nEast Surrey Hospital in Redhill also declared a critical incident and rescheduled appointments yesterday, although the alert has since been called off.\n\nUniversity College London Hospitals warned that some of its buildings have no air conditioning and alerted certain patients that they may need to switch to virtual appointments.\n\nNNUH’s Chief Operating Office Chris Cobb, cautioned that the situation in Norfolk may not be resolved quickly, particularly while the heat persists and apologised to all those affected.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nSome hospitals have also had to cancel appointments due to surging demand for emergency care, with warnings that pressure on services could intensify further over the coming days.\n\nThe situation has prompted renewed warnings that Britain’s public infrastructure was built for a climate that no longer exists.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe NHS isn’t alone in its vulnerability - train operators have been forced to reduce train speed to prevent tracks from buckling in the heat, and schools have described their Victorian buildings turning into greenhouses.\n\nUN Secretary General António Guterres, speaking at London Climate Action Week, said the city was “cooking”.\n\nHe also warned the world faces “a climate crisis pushing us deeper towards higher temperatures and closer to catastrophic tipping points”.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "UK hospitals declare critical incidents as heatwave breaks records and cooling systems fail"
}