PHYSICIANS warned today that NHS sites are not ready for extreme weather as the Met Office issued a rare red heat warning, extended until tonight for London and the south-east.

A survey by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) revealed testimony from staff who said “conditions are awful” due to overcrowding, while others warned that machines to treat cancer stopped working because of the heatwave.

More than half (58 per cent) of members felt their workplace is unprepared for extreme weather events, the RCP said.

Another 75 per cent were concerned about the impact of climate change on the health of their patients.

The RCP also said there have been reports of geriatric patients facing temperatures of up to 35°C, with one physician adding that the care setting is “unfit to cope” with the heat.

Staff also faced “major issues” with IT servers due to temperature, with one saying: “We thought we were going to lose everything, so we were all asked to turn off non-essential computers and electrical equipment, including lights.”

RCP clinical vice-president Dr Hilary Williams said: “There are reports of older patients arriving at hospital having collapsed or with dehydration.

“Patients are facing overcrowding, and there are issues with machines, laboratories and kidney dialysis – all fundamental to providing safe patient care.

“The impact of heatwaves on staff cannot be overstated. There is a sense of foreboding when we see the weather forecast, because we know what is to come, and there is very little staff can do.”

Ms Williams said that “the NHS is already facing enormous pressure from rising demand and workforce shortages,” calling for “system-level change.”

She added that this should include “strengthening infrastructure and embedding resilience into NHS reform” and for buildings to be upgraded to withstand extreme heat.