The Epilepsy Society has joined forces with Parliamentarians, experts and charities, including Care Rights UK, to urge the Government to implement a Cool Homes Plan. We invited Rosa Simpson, Head of External Affairs, Epilepsy Society, to explain why this is so urgent.
“This summer’s unprecedented high temperatures revealed deep cracks in our social care infrastructure, and ones that cannot be ignored any longer. The sweltering heat in care home settings lacking basic cooling facilities made keeping older people and those with long-term conditions safe and comfortable near impossible.”
Tragically, 45 per cent of heat-related excess deaths last year occurred in care homes. And this is only set to get worse. Heat-related excess deaths for May and June of this year were almost double the total for the entirety of summer 2025.
Extreme heat is a threat to health and wellbeing
Extreme heat is a dangerous, silent threat to health and wellbeing. People receiving care or living in care settings are particularly vulnerable, especially those living with neurological conditions such as epilepsy. High temperatures can directly trigger more frequent and severe seizures.
Epilepsy Society is currently at the forefront of research into the health impacts of climate change, with ongoing studies examining the direct link between indoor temperature and seizure activity in people with severe epilepsy. We have a current research project which uses temperature and humidity temperature loggers in every resident’s room to monitor their environment 24/7. This data will be cross-referenced with healthcare records to build insights into the direct impact indoor temperatures has on seizure frequency and intensity.
Lack of cooling facilities
But monitoring the heat is only half the battle - tackling it requires immediate, practical solutions. The Royal College of Nursing recently warned that a lack of cooling facilities can make care settings "impossible and inhumane places to work and receive care in." This reflects widespread pressures across the sector. In our own staff feedback, 84% of care workers reported excessive indoor warmth, and nearly half felt that residents were noticeably more heat-sensitive than themselves.
Like many care providers across the country, we fought hard to mitigate these conditions, but structural barriers made adaptation extremely difficult. Widespread supply shortages meant air conditioning units were out of stock until the end of the year.
With hot summers now our new normal, we are taking proactive steps to cool our care homes ahead of next summer. However, the costs are significant. This project highlights the immense, unbudgeted capital burden care providers face simply to deliver what should be a basic standard of care. Expecting care homes to absorb these structural costs individually, while operating under existing financial pressures, is unsustainable.
“Every resident has the right to live in a safe, comfortable environment, and every care worker deserves a safe place to work, no matter the weather.”
A national Cool Homes Plan
That’s why Epilepsy Society has joined forces with over 60 cross-party MPs, councillors, experts, and charities – including Care Rights UK – to urge the Government to address the summer crisis. Together, we are calling for a national Cool Homes Plan with dedicated grants for social care settings to adapt buildings for hotter weather. We are also calling on the CQC to introduce an upper safety threshold for room temperature – the logical counterpart to the lower safety threshold that already exists to protect residents in the winter.
The Health Secretary recently said the NHS needs to prepare for summer pressures in the same way it prepares for winter. But the Government must also look at the buildings many vulnerable people live in and stop them from overheating in the first place. If Prime Minister Andy Burnham is serious about reforming adult social care, he must ensure our buildings are fit for a changing climate. Residents cannot wait for another deadly summer.
“Now is the time to build resilience, fund adaptations, and keep care cool.”