The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published the Adverse Weather and Health Plan (AWHP) on 19 December 2024. The plan applies to England and replaces the previous Heatwave Plan for England and Cold Weather Plan for England, which it brings together1.
The plan states that it "aims to protect individuals and communities from the health effects of adverse weather and to build community resilience"1. Its stated aims are to prevent the increase in years of life lost due to adverse weather events, prevent mortality and morbidity due to adverse weather events, and reduce the use of healthcare services due to adverse weather events1. The Local Government Association describes it as a new annual document, developed by scientists and public health experts in the UKHSA's new Centre for Climate and Health Security, and as part of a commitment under the climate change National Adaptation Programme2.
"The Plan builds on the previous Heatwave Plan for England and the Cold Weather Plan for England."
The AWHP programme of work has four components: the plan itself; a supporting evidence document published in parallel, summarising the scientific evidence behind the plan; guidance and support materials listed in Appendices 2 to 4, covering heat, cold, and flood and drought; and the Weather-Health Alerting (WHA) system for heat and cold, developed in collaboration with the Met Office1. The plan seeks to address nine action areas, listed below as published1.
| The nine action areas |
|---|
| Service delivery |
| Capacity building |
| Organisation arrangements |
| Communication |
| Risk management |
| Early warning systems |
| Research and data analysis |
| Quality assurance |
| Policy development and accountability |
The Local Government Association states that the content of the Weather-Health alerts is aimed at health and social care organisations and other professionals working with individuals or communities who may be affected by hot or cold weather2. It also reports that UKHSA has produced a new toolkit for 2026 intended to provide basic health information that can be communicated during hot spells, so that the right messages reach the right people at the right time2. The plan's own page does not mention this toolkit.
Why it matters for households
The plan is directed at local and national organisations rather than at households directly. GOV.UK states that local organisations and partnerships can use the nine action areas to develop local health and resilience plans outlining how they will protect their local populations from the health impacts of adverse weather events1. The Local Government Association says the AWHP will build on existing measures taken by UKHSA, the wider government, its agencies, NHS England and local authorities to protect people from the health effects of adverse weather and build community resilience2. For households, the practical effect is that the heat and cold guidance previously issued under two separate plans now sits within one annual document, alongside alerting for both heat and cold and material covering flood and drought1. The plan's page does not set out advice addressed to the public; the guidance and support materials it lists are the published route to that advice1.
What happens next
The AWHP is described by the Local Government Association as an annual document2. The plan page lists the supporting evidence document as published in parallel with the plan, and the guidance and support materials as available on GOV.UK in Appendices 2 to 41. The Local Government Association refers to a UKHSA toolkit for 2026 for use during hot spells2. No further dates for publication or review are given in the published material.
The plan's arrangements for heat, cold, flood and drought are set out in the guide to how services respond under the Adverse Weather and Health Plan, within the wider heatwaves and drought section and the UK preparedness pages.
Adverse Weather and Health Plan
