The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is calling on NHS employers to help keep staff, women and babies safe and comfortable during the heatwave – and to urgently invest in maternity facilities that are increasingly unsuitable during periods of extreme heat. 

The call comes as the UK experiences its second heatwave of 2026, with temperatures expecting to hit 38c this week. 

The RCM’s ongoing campaign ‘Your birthplace, our workplace’, highlights the need for investment in maternity facilities, which are often overheated with inadequate ventilation.  

Staff working busy long shifts in hot wards and clinics, without adequate hydration breaks in a cool area, are particularly at risk – and hot facilities are also unpleasant for women in labour. 

Robbie Turner, Chief Membership Officer at the RCM, said: “Midwives and maternity support workers work tirelessly to provide safe care for women and babies, often in challenging conditions. Investing in maternity services isn’t a luxury – it’s essential. Safe, comfortable working environments support staff wellbeing and creates a better experience for women, babies and families.” 

The RCM is urging employers to: 

• Keep staff comfortable: Allow for frequent breaks and provide a supply of cold drinks to help keep workers cool and hydrated.   

• Keep workplace buildings cool: Workplaces can be kept cooler and more bearable by taking simple steps such as using air conditioning, fans, moving staff away from windows or sources of heat.   

• Climate-proof workplaces: Preparing buildings for increasingly hot weather, by installing ventilation, air-cooling and energy efficiency measures.  

• Talk to and listen to staff and their unions: Staff will have their own ideas about how best to cope with the excessive heat.  

• Conduct risk assessments and take action: supporting their staff to stay cool, safe and hydrated will enable staff to keep working and keeping women and babies safe. 

Maternity staff will also be under extra demand helping pregnant women manage any issues connected with the heatwave. Advice for women is available on nhs.uk and the Tommy’s website.