Keep Care Cool Campaign

Temperatures this year have been record-breaking. It is now over 20 times more likely for UK temperatures to exceed 40°C than it was in the 1960s. Our buildings were designed to keep heat in, not out. Already, half of UK homes are at risk of overheating, and this crisis is only getting worse.

When the temperature rises, the most vulnerable are hit hardest. We at the Epilepsy Society are at the forefront of research into the health impacts of climate change and we are clear: extreme heat is a medical emergency for people with neurological conditions. 

An Epilepsy Society survey found that 62% of people with uncontrolled seizures experience an increase in seizure activity during unusually hot weather.

Many of those most susceptible to heat-triggered seizures are in residential care or receive care at home. When these buildings overheat, the results can be fatal. In summer 2025, 45% of all heat-associated deaths occurred in care homes, accounting for 677 deaths. And this is only getting worse. Heat-related deaths for May and June 2026 are already almost double the total for the entirety of summer 2025.

What we are doing

We are calling on the Government to act urgently and protect vulnerable lives before the next heatwave. 

There is a Warm Homes Plan to protect the vulnerable during cold winters. But where is the Cool Homes Plan? Sadly, winter is no longer the only life-threatening season. 

Recently, there was an announcement of welcome investment in projects to cool hospitals. But what happens when a vulnerable person is discharged from hospital to a care facility that is dangerously hot?

The Government must:

1. Establish a Cool Homes Plan with dedicated grants for essential cooling adaptations and retrofitting to protect those most at risk of extreme heat. 
2. Introduce and enforce standards and regulations to encourage cooling measures in all social care settings and public buildings, including instructions to the CQC to ensure that care home providers keep people at safe temperatures. 
3. Form a cross-social care sector working group to develop and promote guidance on good practice for all care environments during heatwaves. 

What you can do

We need your help to raise awareness about how extreme heat impacts people with epilepsy and to push decision-makers to protect those at risk.

• Tell us your story. If you or someone you know has epilepsy that is affected by extreme heat, get in touch by emailing campaigns@epilepsysociety.org.uk 
• Email your MP. Constituents have a powerful voice. Let your MP know about this important issue.