What happens when the NHS is hit by an emergency it cannot predict? A heatwave can send thousands more people to hospital. A power cut can put patients who depend on electricity at risk. A cyber-attack can suddenly knock out systems that hospitals rely on to function.

Government officials told reporters at the FT that Andy Burnham’s government is preparing a publicity campaign, telling households to prepare for a disaster. It will set out how people can prepare for extreme weather, power cuts and attacks by hostile states.

The idea is that if households have basic supplies ready, public services can focus on those who need help most. The government will advise people to keep a small stock of tinned food and bottled water.

But heatwaves, power failures and cyber-attacks ultimately test the health system; and that system is already under pressure.

More than 2,700 people are estimated to have died from heat-related causes in England and Wales during the record-breaking heatwaves in May and June this year. That followed 1,504 heat-associated deaths in England in the summer of 2025.

This year has also brought a red heat warning and temperatures of 37.3°C in June, and in August, amber extreme-heat warnings and a record month for wildfires. Heat could cause up to 10,000 deaths a year by the 2050s if the country does not adapt, according to........

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