VerbatimParliament, as it happens

Hospitals: Temperature

Asked by Jess Brown-FullerLiberal DemocratDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 13 July 2026UIN 15649

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the resilience of critical hospital infrastructure against extreme heat events a) nationally and b) in Chichester constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth

Our 10 Year Capital Plan for Health and Social Care sets out a clear commitment to renew our focus on climate resilience. The Plan is backed by record investment, including £6.75 billion through the Estates Safety Fund to address critical maintenance risks, including risks to cooling and ventilation systems.

The South West region has been allocated over £502 million from the Estates Safety Fund for the period between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to address critical infrastructure and safety risks. This is alongside a more than £628 million planning assumption for estates up to 2034/35.

We are also building for the future. All New Hospital Programme schemes from 2025 that are Hospital 2.0 compliant, and all new-build Neighbourhood Health Centres, will have climate resilience embedded into their design from the outset.

Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →

Open this question in Verbatim →

Every written question, searchable

155,000 questions tabled since the election, with the answer each department gave — and the ones still unanswered, with the clock running. Free to search.

Search written questions →Read on Verbatim