Weather-health alerts impact project: Improving awareness and action through partnership with UKHSA
Start date
April 2026End date
April 2027Overview
As climate change continues to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather, the need for effective early warning systems has never been greater. In England alone, an estimated 1,311 deaths were linked to extreme heat during summer 2024, while 5,533 deaths were associated with cold weather during winter 2022/23. Helping health and social care providers prepare for these events is becoming an increasingly important public health priority.
Dr Thomas Roberts, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Sociology and Co-Director of the Institute for Sustainability, will work alongside the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Met Office, Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust and Surrey County Council to ensure that Weather-Health Alerts are easier to understand and translate into practical action during periods of extreme heat and cold.
Team
Principal Investigator
Dr Tom Roberts
Senior Lecturer Environmental Sociology; Co-Director Institute for Sustainability
Biography
I am a founding Co-Director of the University's Institute for Sustainability, and Senior Lecturer in Environmental Sociology, in the Department of Sociology. My research focuses on the relationship between people and the environment. More specifically I am interested in the impact of climate change on everyday life, healthcare and crime; public perceptions and understanding of environmental change and new low carbon technologies; the challenges associated with transitioning to a low carbon society, particularly in relation to work and skills; the environmental impact of consumption and waste disposal practices. My research has been funded by The British Council; The British Academy; Public Health England; The Economic and Social Research Council; The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Partners
Planned Impact
The project builds on several years of Surrey research into weather-health warning systems, that informed the UK's move away from traditional temperature-threshold alerts towards today's impact-based Weather-Health Alert system. Rather than relying solely on forecast temperatures, the new approach considers the likely health impacts of severe weather, allowing organisations to make better-informed decisions to protect vulnerable communities.
Independent evaluation undertaken by the University of Surrey found that the new alert system has already improved planning and decision-making across health and local government. However, the research also identified that more work is needed to ensure frontline staff fully understand how to interpret alerts and implement appropriate actions during periods of extreme weather.
The new project will address this challenge by working directly with frontline health and social care professionals across England to co-design practical communication tools explaining alert levels and the actions required when alerts are issued. Through workshops, focus groups, and regional case studies, researchers will ensure the materials are shaped by those who use the system every day.
The resources will be designed for use within UKHSA guidance, NHS organisations and local authorities, helping strengthen preparedness, improve communication and support faster, more consistent responses during extreme weather events.
The project demonstrates how University of Surrey research is informing national policy while delivering practical benefits for frontline services and communities. Working closely with UKHSA and the Met Office, the team hopes the findings will not only strengthen the Weather-Health Alert system in England but also contribute to the development of similar impact-based alerting systems internationally.
"The UK has made significant progress by introducing an impact-based Weather-Health Alert system, but effective warning systems only work if people understand them and know how to respond. This project is about working directly with frontline staff to develop practical tools that make the system even more effective. As climate change continues to increase weather-related health risks, improving preparedness across health and social care has never been more important." Dr Thomas Roberts