Summer Wellness

1. Keep out of the heat if you can. If you have to go outside, stay in the shade especially between 11am and 3pm.
2. Wear sunscreen, a hat and light clothes, and avoid exercise or activity that makes you hotter.
3. Keep windows that are exposed to the sun closed during the day, and open windows at night when the temperature has dropped. Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35 degrees.
4. Cool yourself down. Have cold food and drinks, avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks, and have a cool shower or put cool water on your skin or clothes.
5. Drink plenty of water as sugary, alcoholic and caffeinated drinks can make you dehydrated. Carry a bottle of water with you at all times if you can.
6. Never leave people or pets in a parked car with the windows closed.
7. Identify the coolest room in the house so you know where to go to keep cool.
8. Turn off non‐essential lights and electrical equipment – they generate heat.
9. Keep indoor plants and bowls of water in the house as evaporation helps cool the air.
10. Check up on friends, relatives and neighbours who may be less able to look after themselves.

• older people aged 65 years and over (note change from previous guidance of 75 years of age and above)
• babies and young children aged 5 years and under
• people with underlying health conditions particularly heart problems, breathing
• problems, dementia, diabetes, kidney disease, Parkinson’s disease, or mobility problems
• people on certain medications
• people with serious mental health problems
• people who are already ill and dehydrated (for example from diarrhoea and vomiting)
• people who experience alcohol or drug dependence
• people who are physically active and spend a lot of time outside such as runners, cyclists and walkers
• people who work in jobs that require manual labour or extensive time outside
• people experiencing homelessness, including rough sleepers (especially if under the influence of alcohol and underlying health conditions, they are less likely to take preventative steps) and those who are unable to make adaptations to their living accommodation such as sofa surfers or living in hostels.
• people who live alone and may be unable to care for themselves

 Heat exhaustion is the body’s response to an excessive loss of water and salt, usually through excessive sweating. 

The signs of heat exhaustion include: 

• tiredness
• dizziness
• headache
• feeling sick or being sick
• cramps in the arms, legs and stomach e.t.c.

Heat exhaustion does not usually need emergency medical help if you can cool down within 30 minutes. If it turns into heatstroke, it needs to be treated as an emergency.

Heat stroke occurs when the body can no longer control its temperature: the body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. When heat stroke occurs, the body temperature can rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes.

Heatstroke is a medical emergency. If you think someone has heatstroke you should dial 999 and then try to cool them down.

Symptoms of heat stroke include:

• Confusion, altered mental status, slurred speech
• Loss of consciousness (coma)
• Hot, dry skin or profuse sweating
• Seizures
• Very high body temperature 

Things you can do to cool someone down
If someone has heat exhaustion, follow these 4 steps:

• Move them to a cool place.
• Remove all unnecessary clothing like a jacket or socks.
• Get them to drink a sports or rehydration drink, or cool water.
• Cool their skin – spray or sponge them with cool water and fan them.
• Cold packs, wrapped in a cloth and put under the armpits or on the neck are good too.

To help prevent heat exhaustion or heatstroke:

• drink more cold drinks, especially if you're active or exercising
• wear light-coloured, loose clothing
• avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm
• avoid excess alcohol
• avoid extreme exercise
• if you're inside on a very hot day, close curtains, close windows if it's hotter outside than in your home and turn off electrical equipment and lights that get hot.
• water and sun protection will be distributed to rough sleepers. 

Heat rash is a harmless but very itchy skin rash. It is also called prickly heat, sweat rash or miliaria.

It happens when your body sweats more than usual. Heat rash is more common during the summer months and in hot climates.

What are the symptoms of heat rash?

• tiny red spots, clear blisters or lumps
• an irritating itchy and prickling sensation
• red skin

In babies, heat rash often appears:

• in skin folds
• on their face
• in the nappy area

To keep your skin cool

• Wear loose cotton clothing.
• Use lightweight bedding.
• Take cool baths or showers.
• Drink plenty of fluid to avoid dehydration.

To calm the itching or prickly feeling

• Apply something cold, such as a damp cloth or ice pack (wrapped in a tea towel), for up to 20 minutes.
• Tap or pat the rash instead of scratching it.
• Do not use perfumed shower gels or creams.
   
• How can I help my child with heat rash?
  If your child has heat rash:
• keep them cool and dry
• change sweaty clothes and wet nappies regularly
• dress them in cotton clothes
• carefully dry in between their skin folds after bathing
• put them to sleep in just a nappy
• don’t use lots of blankets
• avoid using a plastic mattress

When working outdoors, the weather can have a serious impact on worker’s health if the risks have not been properly managed.

This impact may be immediate or occur over a longer time, leading to conditions like skin cancer.

Too much sunlight can cause skin damage including sunburn, blistering and skin ageing. In the long term, it can lead to an increased risk of skin cancer.

Top tips:

• Reschedule work to cooler times of the day.
• Provide more frequent rest breaks and introduce shading to rest areas.
• Provide free access to cool drinking water.
• Introduce shading in areas where people are working.
• Encourage workers to remove personal protective equipment when resting to help encourage heat loss.
• Make sure workers can recognise the early symptoms of heat stress.
• If a person does not respond within 30 minutes from providing assistance please call 999 for  an ambulance.

If you are having a picnic in a park or open space – don’t use a BBQ (including disposables), grass can be very dry and a fire can start and spread quickly.

This puts people, homes, property and wildlife in danger. You can help to reduce the risk of a fire by not using any naked flames in the open.

How to stay BBQ safe

• If you do BBQ at home – it is important to check you have taken the right safety precautions.
• Don’t use a BBQ on a balcony. Flames, sparks and hot embers can cause a fire and spread quickly to other parts of the building.
• Position your BBQ on level ground (not decking) and keep it well away from anything that may catch fire such as sheds, fences or trees.
• Never light a barbecue in an enclosed space and don’t use accelerants to get it going.
• Avoid distractions from people around you and never leave the BBQ unattended.
• Avoid drinking alcohol if you are in charge of the BBQ.
• Keep children, pets and garden games a safe distance from the BBQ. Have a bucket of water or sand nearby for emergency use.
• After cooking, let it cool and make sure it is properly out – smouldering ashes can give off dangerous carbon monoxide fumes and can be fatal. 

This guidance is for those with responsibilities for people currently sleeping rough.

• Incentivise the use of cool spaces, for example, by offering activities, entertainment, food, drinks, safe storage of belongings and accessibility for pets.
• Permanent services are more likely to be used than those that are stood up and down quickly, such as an established shelter, with air conditioning versus a temporary cooling shelter.
• Adjusting provisions of some services can provide extra daytime protection, for example, extending opening hours of night-only hostels.
• If a person does not respond within 30 minutes from providing assistance please call 999 for  an ambulance.
• If you are concerned about a rough sleeper during the extreme heat then please contact streetlink.