The UK Health Security Agency has placed the North West and North East of England under an amber Cold-Health Alert from 20:00 on Sunday 28 December 2025 until 12:00 on Monday 5 January 2026. All other English regions are on a yellow alert for the same period, with forecasters warning that conditions could change quickly. The Met Office may issue separate severe weather warnings for snow and ice at short notice.

An amber alert signals that cold-related impacts are likely to be felt across the health service and could start to affect the wider population, not only those already at risk. Dr Agostinho Sousa of UKHSA urged simple, life-saving checks: “As the colder weather sets in it is vital to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable.”

Why this matters goes beyond icy pavements. The Office for National Statistics shows winter consistently brings more deaths than summer; in 2019/20 there were an estimated 28,300 excess winter deaths in England and Wales, with the highest risk among older age groups. Year-to-year variation is normal, but the health signal from cold snaps is clear.

Housing conditions are a major part of the story. Analysis by UCL’s Institute of Health Equity, working with Friends of the Earth, finds 9.6 million UK households live in homes that are cold, damp and poorly insulated while also having incomes below a decent living standard-leaving little capacity to fix the problem. Fuel poverty charity National Energy Action estimates around 10,000 people die each year in the UK because they live in a cold home.

There is clear guidance on safe indoor temperatures. The World Health Organization and UK public bodies advise heating living spaces to at least 18°C in winter, especially for people aged 65 and over or with heart and lung conditions. That minimum helps reduce risks of chest infections, raised blood pressure and cardiovascular strain.

If you’re supporting someone through this cold spell, start with the basics: aim for 18°C in the main rooms, close curtains at dusk, block draughts, and have hot food and drinks available. Check medicines, charge phones and agree a daily call with neighbours who live alone. If anyone relies on powered medical equipment or struggles with mobility, ask their energy supplier about the Priority Services Register for extra, free support.

Frontline services also have tools to act. UKHSA’s Weather-Health Alerting system provides “action cards” to help NHS, councils and care providers prepare for amber periods; the House of Commons Library summarises options such as using ECO4 Flex to reach low-income households with insulation when clinicians identify cold-related risks.

There are proven models to keep the most vulnerable warm and out of hospital. Energy Systems Catapult’s Warm Home Prescription pilot-run with NHS partners-found recipients heated homes to safer levels, reported better health and used fewer healthcare services; recent trials have expanded to include energy upgrades like insulation and heat pumps for eligible homes.

Investing in warmer homes is also sound public finance. Building Research Establishment estimates excess cold in England’s housing stock costs the NHS around £857 million a year in first-year treatment costs, part of an estimated £1.4 billion burden from poor housing. Targeting social homes to EPC C could save the NHS tens of millions annually, according to analysis by the Chartered Institute of Housing.

For now, the immediate ask is simple and practical: keep living spaces warm, check in on people who might need help, and follow official updates as conditions evolve. Amber alerts can escalate-or ease-quickly, and the Met Office will issue separate warnings for snow and ice as needed.