GP practices could be forced to shut their doors if indoor temperatures keep rising, the Royal College of GPs has warned, as Britain endures its fourth spell of extreme heat this summer.
The RCGP published guidance on its website advising family doctors to consider closure or relocation if indoor temperatures reach 30C. Rooms should be kept below 26C for comfort, and staff should use thermometers to check temperatures frequently, the guidance states.
High indoor heat can leave staff dehydrated, stressed and more prone to errors in judgment, the college said. Vulnerable patients face heightened risks of dehydration, stroke and organ failure in such conditions.
Surgeries Told to Adapt Hours and Fast-Track Patients
The RCGP guidance also advises practices to consider earlier start times to avoid the hottest part of the day and to fast-track high-risk patients for same-day appointments during hot weather.
The Doctors' Association UK called for a maximum legal working temperature in GP surgeries in June, after a survey found 83 percent of NHS staff described their workplace as very or dangerously hot. Earlier this month, surgeons said they had been forced to stop operations mid-procedure due to dehydration, dizziness and the risk of fainting.
"There is nothing extraordinary, nor is it an isolated incident," said Dr Tim Lane, president of the Royal College of Surgeons. "It is a symptom of a deeper problem: too many of our hospitals are no longer equipped to deal with the hot summers Britain now experiences."
Heat Deaths Nearly Double Last Year's Total
Figures released show that heat-related deaths in Britain during May and June this year have already reached 2,877, nearly double the 1,504 recorded across the full three months of June to August in 2025.
"These figures highlight the significant danger that very hot weather can pose to people's health," said Dr Ross Thompson, Principal Environmental Public Health Scientist at UKHSA.
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said the heat had had a serious impact on people's health and on the NHS. She said summer heat was now having an increasingly serious impact on the health of thousands of people and on pressures facing the NHS.
The crisis arrives as patients already struggle to access GP appointments. Around a third of all appointments take place over the phone, according to NHS data, and patients have reported waiting months to see a doctor in person. The NHS also recorded its highest-ever A&E attendances in June.
