Cold health alert for East Midlands upgraded as warning of rise in deaths issued

A cold health alert for the East Midlands has been upgraded with a warning of a rise in the number of deaths. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has upgraded the cold health alert to amber.

The 128-hour alert came into effect at 10am on Monday, November 18 and is valid until 6pm on Saturday, November 23. In a update, the UKHSA said there was also likely to be increase in demand for health services and that care settings may struggle keep indoor temperatures above the recommended 18C.

A spokesperson said: "Forecast weather is likely to cause significant impacts across health and social care services, including:

• a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. We may also see impacts on younger age groups
• a likely increase in demand for health services
• temperatures inside places like hospitals, care homes, and clinics dropping below the levels recommended for assessing health risks
• challenges keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18°C leading to more risk to vulnerable people
• staffing issues due to external factors (such as travel delays)
• other sectors starting to observe impacts (such as transport and energy)

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The upgrade of the health alert comes after the Met Office updated its snow warning for Nottinghamshire saying up to 10cm is possible overnight on Monday, November 18 into Tuesday, November 19 even at lower levels.

The 15-hour warning is valid until 10am on Tuesday, November 19, but it has now been updated with the likelihood of impacts increased. Posting an update at 10.21am on Monday, the Met Office said: "The warning area has been adjusted slightly, mainly to remove it from southern Scotland, whilst the likelihood of impacts has increased."