July 25, 2018: Demand for online heat-related health advice from the NHS is soaring as most of England continues to bask in a heatwave.

Visits to the NHS Choices website’s advice page for heat exhaustion and heatstroke more than quadrupled this month compared to July last year.

Up to July 23 this year, there were 230,611 visits to the page, while in the whole of July 2017 there were 52,143.

The NHS Choices advice page about heat rash had 150,517 visits this month, more than double the figure for the same month last year (61,023 visits).

A Level 3 heat health watch alert covering a large part of England has been issued by the Met Office and Public Health England, warning people to stay out of the sun and keep their home as cool as possible.

The NHS Choices hayfever advice page has also seen a huge increase in visits this year, particularly in June when there were 320,035 visits – up from 56,931 in June last year.

ENDS

Tables showing the number of visits to NHS Choices website advice pages, May to June 2017 and 2018

Visit NHS Choices for advice on:

Heat exhaustion and heatstroke

Prickly heat

Sunburn

Hayfever

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Notes to editors

1. NHS Digital is the national information and technology partner of the health and care system.  Our team of information analysis, technology and project management experts create, deliver and manage the crucial digital systems, services, products and standards upon which health and care professionals depend.  During the 2017/18 financial year, NHS Digital published 275 statistical reports. Our vision is to harness the power of information and technology to make health and care better.
2. NHS Choices (www.nhs.uk) was launched in 2007 and is the official website of the National Health Service in England.
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