Healthcare workers in the UK are fainting due to inhumane working conditions in British hospitals caused by the heat, The Guardian reports, citing the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union.
“Nurses are fainting during shifts amidst ‘inhumane and unrealistic conditions’ caused by extreme heat,” the newspaper notes.
According to the publication, the Royal College of Nursing—which operates a dedicated helpline—reported that some healthcare workers have already fainted while on duty. Others have experienced nausea and weakness. At the same time, they were caring for elderly and vulnerable patients and had to keep medications cool.
“There is no air conditioning in our ward, so it is really hard for all of us. It’s not our first hot summer, but I can’t recall ever having to work in conditions like these,” the newspaper quotes a nurse working in an intensive care unit at a public hospital in southwest England.
She stated that the temperature in her ward exceeded 30 degrees Celsius. Another nurse working in England told The Guardian that staff dread going to work when they have to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) while treating patients. In such situations, she said, medical staff are “drenched in sweat from head to toe.”
Nicola Ranger, General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing, described these accounts from nurses as a wake-up call. She called for the installation of air conditioning and improved ventilation in UK healthcare facilities, as well as the provision of uniforms suitable for working in hot conditions.
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