Health protection assurance

Extreme weather can cause serious illness and disruption during periods of heat, cold and flooding. 

Risk is higher for older adults, very young children, pregnant people, and people living with long‑term health conditions. 

Risk also increases for people who are socially isolated, have limited mobility, are experiencing homelessness, or live in homes that are hard to heat in winter or keep cool in summer. 

In Havering, this is particularly important because the Borough has an older population than London overall, and some areas face flood risk, especially from surface water and local watercourses.  

Early planning and targeted support during alerts help reduce harm. 

Actions to mitigate against the impact of extreme weather, including seasonal preparedness activity, are monitored through the Health Protection Forum oversight. 

Extreme weather is an essential area of public health 

Extreme weather is a public health priority because it can cause avoidable illness and deaths and increases demand on services.

Hot weather can lead to dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke, and can worsen heart, lung and kidney conditions.

Cold weather increases the risk of respiratory illness, cardiovascular events, and falls.

Storms and flooding add risks through injury, disruption to care, unsafe housing, damp and mould after water damage, and stress impacting mental health and wellbeing of those affected. 

The impacts of extreme weather are not equal.  

People are more likely to be harmed when health risks combine with housing, financial or social factors. 

Early planning, clear advice, and targeted support can reduce harm and protect people who are most at risk. 

Key facts

• In England, UKHSA estimated 1,311 deaths associated with heat episodes in summer 2024. 
• UKHSA supporting evidence estimates 5,533 deaths attributable to periods of extreme cold in winter 2022 to 2023. 
• UKHSA estimated 2,544 cold‑associated deaths across three cold episodes between November 2024 and January 2025. The most severe episode (six days in early January) accounted for 1,630 deaths. 
• Cold risk is highest in older adults, particularly those aged 85+, and cold‑associated deaths occur across care homes, hospitals, people’s own homes, and hospices. 
• The UKHSA Weather Health Alerting System has core seasons (1 June to 30 September for heat and 1 November to 31 March for cold), with out of season alerts issued when thresholds are met. 

Extreme weather is a public health focus in Havering

Havering’s older population profile increases vulnerability to heat and cold, particularly for people living with frailty and long‑term conditions. 

At the 2021 Census, 17.6 percent of residents were aged 65 and over, compared with 11.9 percent across London.  

Winter risk is also shaped by affordability and housing conditions.  

Local needs assessments report around 9.3 percent of households are in fuel poverty, which can increase exposure to cold indoor temperatures and related health harms. 

Flood risk is also relevant locally. Havering faces risks from surface water and smaller watercourses, as well as river and tidal flooding in some locations. 

This is particularly relevant to parts of the borough linked to local river catchments and the Thames corridor, including development areas such as Rainham and Beam Park. 

Public health action focuses on early, coordinated prevention and response. 

This includes seasonal planning with partners, using weather‑health alerts to trigger local readiness, clear communications, and targeted support for residents most at risk. 

Key facts

• 17.6 percent of residents are aged 65+ (compared to 11.9 percent in London as a whole). 
• 9.3 percent of households are affected by fuel poverty (lower than London and England averages and reduced compared with 2019). 
• Death rates among Havering residents aged 85+ were around 5.2 percent higher during winter 2021/22; most excess winter deaths relate to respiratory conditions (including ‘flu), dementia, and cardiovascular disease. 
• An estimated 9,408 people aged 65+ are unable to manage at least one activity on their own (around 1 in 5), with projections increasing by 2030. 
• Surface water flood risk affects thousands of properties: 2,896 at risk in a 1 in 30 year scenario, rising to 7,515 (1 in 100) and 24,409 (1 in 1,000). 

See Havering JSNA 2025 for more information

What we do in Havering

The Public Health team works with council services, NHS partners, UKHSA, voluntary sector organisations, and the Borough Resilience Forum to reduce harm from extreme weather. 

This includes planning, prevention, targeted support for vulnerable groups, and coordinating communications and escalation during incidents. 

We work closely with Emergency Planning, Adult Social Care, Housing, Public Protection, Environment, Highways, Education, Communications, and local NHS partners (including BHRUT and NELFT). 

Our role is to keep local plans and escalation routes up to date, support partners to act early during alerts, coordinate clear messages, and ensure support and referral routes are easy to use. 

Key initiatives

• Seasonal planning and preparedness: Align local arrangements to the UKHSA Adverse Weather and Health Plan and the Weather Health Alerting System. This includes pre‑season briefings, refreshed contact lists, and checking escalation and communications routes before summer and winter. 
• Targeted support for vulnerable residents: Promote referral routes and local offers that help residents stay safe and well. Encourage proactive welfare checks by services already supporting higher‑risk people, focusing on early action to prevent deterioration and safeguarding concerns. 
• Support to settings and severe weather arrangements: Work with Emergency Planning, Housing and outreach partners so health risks are considered in severe weather provision, with clear referral pathways and rapid escalation where someone is at immediate risk. During alerts, share practical guidance and ensure care homes and other settings know how to escalate concerns and maintain safe care. 
• Communications and continuous improvement: Coordinate clear messages linked to practical actions and local support. After events, hold brief debriefs and update guidance, templates and escalation routes through Health Protection Forum and resilience governance. 
• Flood risk and climate resilience links: Link health protection work to the borough’s flood risk management and wider climate resilience activity, including surface water planning and local flood risk strategy actions. 

Current plans, strategies, and reports

Use Havering plans and escalation routes first, then the national guidance and dashboards for alignment and live alerts. 

Havering plans and escalation routes

• Severe Adverse Weather and Health Plan (Havering): This is the main operational plan for heat, cold and wider severe weather impacts and currenty undergoing review and update. 
• Severe flooding advice
• Local Flood Risk Management Strategy
• Winter service and severe weather updates
• Emergency planning and our responsibilities
• Emergency Planning Handbook: For council staff and public-facing support, including practical guidance and contact arrangements.

National guidance and tools

• UKHSA Adverse Weather and Health Plan 
• Weather‑Health Alerting System guidance 
• Live alert status dashboard 
• Heat: Beat the heat (public advice) 
• Cold: Keeping warm and well (public advice) 
• Flooding and health: public advice 
• Public health impact of drought: advice for the public 

How you can make a change 

Members of the public

• during hot weather 
  • keep indoor spaces cooler where possible and drink regularly. 
  • check on older relatives, neighbours, and anyone who may be isolated. 
  • seek help early if you feel unwell or symptoms worsen. 
• during cold weather 
  • keep warm and heat key rooms where possible. 
  • check on neighbours and relatives, especially older adults and people living alone. 
  • use warm spaces if heating your home is difficult. 
• during flooding or storms 
  • follow official council and emergency updates. 
  • avoid walking or driving through flood water. 

Professionals working in the area can:

• use the UKHSA Adverse Weather and Health Plan to guide preparedness and response actions and align thresholds across partners. 
• register for the UKHSA Weather Health Alerting System so you receive alerts and can act early; encourage your team to sign up. 
• during severe weather periods, confirm the current alert level and any Havering updates at the start of shifts. 
• before summer and winter, complete readiness checks: staffing resilience, business continuity, contact lists, care setting checks, and communications templates. 
• make sure you know local escalation routes for severe weather impacts (in-hours and out-of-hours) and when to escalate (welfare concerns, service disruption, care setting risks, homelessness risk, flooding impacts). 
• prioritise proactive contact with higher‑risk people already known to your service and take early action where risk is rising. 
• use local referral routes for warm/cool spaces, welfare support, housing support, and urgent safeguarding concerns.
• log and share weather‑related impacts so the system can respond early and scale support.