The UK Health Security Agency has placed the North East and North West of England under amber cold‑health alerts, with yellow alerts issued across Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, the South East and the South West. The North East alert runs from 20:00 GMT on Sunday 28 December 2025 to 12:00 on Monday 5 January 2026; the UKHSA dashboard also lists the North West at amber as of 10:01 on 28 December.
UKHSA’s risk assessment for the amber area flags a likely rise in deaths among older people and those with pre‑existing conditions, increased demand on health and care services, indoor temperatures in hospitals and care homes potentially falling below thresholds used for risk assessment, and difficulties for households in maintaining the recommended 18°C. Staffing issues may arise due to travel disruption, with impacts expected to be felt beyond health, including transport and energy.
Under the impact‑based Cold‑Health Alerting system operated with the Met Office, yellow alerts indicate conditions that may significantly affect vulnerable groups, while amber signals impacts likely across health and social care, with potential risk to the wider population and a need for coordinated cross‑sector action.
For providers, UKHSA guidance indicates an amber alert should trigger activation of business continuity and cold‑weather plans, rapid cascading of alerts to staff, use of the risk matrix to inform local responses, prioritisation of essential travel and gritting to maintain access to critical services, and stepped‑up proactive contact with high‑risk residents. Providers should monitor room temperatures and help people keep living areas at or above 18°C.
Commissioners and integrated care systems are advised to coordinate enhanced communications to underserved groups, support voluntary and community organisations to deliver welfare checks and practical assistance, and work with transport and highways teams to ensure gritting at hospital approaches, care settings and pedestrian hotspots.
The Met Office outlook into the first full week of January points to below‑average temperatures with frost, fog and wintry hazards possible at times, especially in northern areas. Organisations should monitor National Severe Weather Warnings and local forecasts as conditions and risks may evolve.
For households, the official advice remains straightforward: check in on older neighbours and people with long‑term conditions, and if possible keep living spaces at 18°C or above. Cold exposure increases risks of cardiovascular events, respiratory illness and falls, so maintaining warmth and planning travel with ice and fog in mind can reduce avoidable harm.
UKHSA updates the alert status on its dashboard and timings can change. Health, care and resilience partners should continue to track the UKHSA portal alongside Met Office updates and maintain readiness to adjust local actions if alerts are extended or upgraded.