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Maggots in wounds and patients dying as NHS wards hit 44C in Britain's record summer heatwaves

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Europe bracing for another heatwave, as a Royal College of Nursing survey reveals patients dying and suffering maggots in wounds on NHS wards that reached 44C this summer.
Europe bracing for another heatwave, as a Royal College of Nursing survey reveals patients dying and suffering maggots in wounds on NHS wards that reached 44C this summer.
A children's ward in Yorkshire hit 44C this summer, while a nurse in Wales said extreme heat directly contributed to the deaths of two frail patients.
A children's ward in Yorkshire hit 44C this summer, while a nurse in Wales said extreme heat directly contributed to the deaths of two frail patients.

A Royal College of Nursing survey of 2,471 nurses has exposed harrowing conditions on NHS wards during this summer's record-breaking heatwaves, with patients dying, fainting and suffering severe dehydration in what staff described as "suffocating atmospheres." One nurse reported maggots in patients' wounds, while cancer patients were found dripping with sweat during chemotherapy. A children's ward in Yorkshire reached 44C, and a nurse in Wales said extreme heat "directly impacted" the deaths of two frail patients. The RCN is now demanding urgent Government investment to make hospitals fit to cope with high temperatures.

In the East of England, a nurse described heart failure patients enduring temperatures above 30C in a newly built ward whose windows had been blocked off.

'If you are in respiratory failure, the heat is a death sentence,' one Welsh nurse said of conditions on her ward.

Older patients were disproportionately hit, with widespread dehydration and a North West nurse calling the situation "horrendous."

MoreGB NewsNHS nurses reveal patients treated 'worse than animals' during summer heatwavesThe IndependentNHS nurses found maggots in wounds during ‘suffocating’ heatwavesRoyal College of Nursing3 in 4 nursing staff say government not doing enough to protect services from climate change, as devastating testimony shows harm done to patients this summer - Royal College of NursingThe TelegraphNHS patients ‘treated worse than animals’ during heatwaves - The Telegraph
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