“We are waiting for the next phase to start, hopefully in the Autumn of this year”

Austins department store needs no introduction.

Those who lived in Derry have their own memories of shopping in the grand building in the heart of the city, and were saddened to see it close in 2016.

Austins has been part of the fabric of Derry for 120 years and now we can take a look inside the restoration works to ensure it remains this way for generations to come.

We spoke to Helen Quigley, Strategic Projects Advisor with the Inner City Trust and Karl Pedersen, partner of Mullarkey Pedersen Architects about the ongoing works.

Helen said: “First of all, we were delighted when the Minister said that he would be giving the money to acquire it and then from that we worked very quickly to make sure that we were going to be hitting the ground running.

“The journey has been exciting, the people of the city are excited about the building and what it is going to become.

“The building itself, as you can see you, we have got in and got the preliminary works done, all the prep work and we have reported back to our funders. We are waiting for the next phase to start, hopefully in the Autumn of this year.”

The Austins restoration project is not the first for the Inner City Trust, having restored the Bishop’s Gate building previously.

Helen highlighted the importance of bringing these legacy buildings back to life.

She said: “These old buildings, if they are properly looked after, can survive for a long time.

“Just like the Bishop’s Gate building that we repaired and opened in 2016, that will stand for the next 100 years without any major intervention and Austins will be the same.

“People have fabulous memories of being in Austins and what Austins means to them and Christmas shopping and we are really enthused by the public and the interest they have taken in it.

“We sincerely hope they will be pleased when the building is eventually finished and occupied.”

Karl Pedersen gave Belfast Live an insight into the work that has gone in to saving the Austins building.

He said: “It has been joyful, everything has been positive here; what we have uncovered in the building and things we have discovered going along.

“I am from Derry originally so I’ve been familiar with it all my life but I’ve also been able to discover things about the building that not even the previous owners knew, as we’ve started to open it up and investigate and see what it is made of and what was sitting behind the shop front fittings they had.

“It’s a great project to work on and one of the benefits too is that we’ve got a fantastic client, Inner City Trust, when you look around the town you’ll see everything they’ve done here and Austins can add to that legacy that we already have.

“We have the right ingredients, we have a fantastic building to work with, a fantastic client and hopefully come September we will have a fantastic budget to work with too.”

Karl also revealed surprising elements of the restoration work, including elements of the Austins building that had been hidden.

He said: “There were a few things that we discovered here that were a surprise, we discovered huge windows that had been covered up. It showed how ambitious and how cutting edge this building was when it was built 120 years ago.

“Generally, we were pleasantly surprised with the condition, which is testament to those who built it all those years ago.

“There are some areas which need our help but there is so much of the original fabric that we are able to maintain and that is what we want to do because once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.”

For those taking on the project, it is essential that the original features of Austins remain within the building.

Karl said: “It is 100% essential that we retain as much of the original fabric as we possibly can.

“The staircase in this building, everyone talks about it and has a memory of the slight tilt which increases as you rise through the building. That needs some help but we’re able to reuse that existing staircase.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

This is the bizarre moment a tourist froze as a wild bear bit at his leg in the Romanian mountains. 

Footage filmed from a nearby car on the scenic Transfăgărășan Highway on Monday showed the tourist staying completely still as a bear ran out of the bushes and onto the road where the man was standing. 

The video shows how the bear starts sniffing and biting at his leg. 

The man manages to stay still until a car drives towards the animal in an attempt to scare it away. 

However, the animal, unfazed by the vehicle, suddenly lunges at the man standing on the road, sending him running for his life. 

The video has since gone viral online, with several social media users commenting on the man’s reaction to the bear. 

Several wondered whether the man, who appeared to be on his phone, was too distracted to notice the animal, with some joking that he had the ‘survival instinct of a potato.’

Others, however, praised him for staying still, saying that choosing not to move away avoided provoking an aggressive reaction from the bear. 

The bear approaches the man, who remains completely still

‘If he had moved, the bear would have run after him. He tried to stay completely still. If he had run, the bear would have chased him and might have attacked him. He acted smartly,’ one social media user commented. 

Meanwhile, others criticised the fact that the driver in the car from which the video was filmed did not do anything initially to alert the man or to scare the bear away. 

The incident comes a month after a tourist suffered serious injuries after he was violently mauled by a wild bear in Romania’s Carpathian mountains.

Georgi Bizhev, a Bulgarian holidaymaker, was driving along a mountain road near the Vidraru Dam in central Romania in June when he decided to stop after spotting a mother bear and her cub.

The 46-year-old tossed food scraps at the animals and began taking pictures and videos of them when the mother bear suddenly launched a ferocious attack on him.

Footage taken by an onlooker shows the adult bear lunging into Bizhev’s car window.

In a separate video taken by Bizhev, the mother bear is shown clawing at the tourist as he screams for help.

The animal smashed a window and tried to drag the tourist out of his vehicle, according to local reports.

Bizhev suffered serious bite wounds to his left arm. He said the bear clawed and bit him as he raised his arm to shield his face and neck.

He said a seatbelt helped save him from worse injury as other drivers honked and shouted to scare the aggressive animal away.

He later said: ‘I saw the bear’s ears prick up and it jumped at me.

‘It tried to grab me and pull me out of the car.’

An onlooker tried to scare the bear away by driving towards it 

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The bear suddenly lunges at the man, but he managed to run to safety unharmed

Romanian emergency services responded after Bizhev alerted guards at the dam.

Officials stressed that the mother bear was likely protecting her cub.

The stretch of road is a famous ‘bear pass’ where tourists frequently stop to observe and feed wildlife.

Bizhev, a sports official and former football club president, said such encounters are commonplace on the route, with food sold at stops, although he acknowledged feeding bears is inappropriate.

He admitted: ‘I entered its environment, it was a mistake for which I paid.’

He has since returned to Bulgaria for further treatment.

Romanian authorities have urged tourists not to approach or feed bears, which are protected but increasingly habituated to humans across the country. 

The road was closed for a number of hours following the collision

Two people were taken to hospital following a four vehicle collision in West Belfast.

The emergency services were called to the incident on Creighton Road at 3.09pm on Wednesday, July 29, with the road being closed for a number of hours between Stewartstown Road and Old Golf Course Road.

Three ambulances were sent to the scene with two people being taken to hospital after treatment from paramedics.

The road reopened again at around 8pm.

A NIAS spokesperson said: “The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 15:09 on Wednesday, 29th July, following reports of an RTC in the Creighton Road area, Belfast.

“NIAS tasked 3 Emergency Ambulances to the incident.

“Following assessment and initial treatment at the scene, two patients were brought to Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast by Ambulance.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

No celebrity mother-daughter duo are more identical than Cindy Crawford and Kaia Gerber — and a new photo of the Gen-Z model and actress has just proved it.

The 24-year-old attended the red carpet premiere of her new drama series, The Shards, in New York City on Monday night.

Channelling the 1980s — the decade when her supermodel mother was rising to fame — Kaia glowed in a Valentino sheer column gown.

The dress featured spaghetti straps and a beaded diamond pattern, inspired by the high glam of the ’80s, but with a sleek contemporary feel.

Kaia’s outfit, combined with her voluminous, sideswept hair, smoky eyes and glossy lip (also a nod to the ’80s), left many fans having to do a double-take.

Because be honest: Raise your hand if you, too, thought you were looking at a younger Cindy Crawford.

The Shards official Instagram account shared footage of Cindy — sorry, Kaia — from the night, and was quickly flooded with comments about the strong genes clearly at play.

‘She’s a mini Cindy, beautiful,’ one person penned, as another called Kaia an ‘icon in the making.’

But aside from The Shards premiere and the actual show itself (it’s based on Bret Easton Ellis’ novel, set against the vivid backdrop of 1980s Los Angeles), there have been plenty of other times when Cindy and Kaia have basically looked like the same person.

Here, we take a look at them side by side:

Los Angeles, 2025

Last year, Cindy and Kaia attended the LACMA Art+Film Gala at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

While Kaia went for a shimmering red halter dress and a middle parting, and Cindy went for a sequinned Bardot neckline number and a side parting, both looked eerily alike.

From the way they posed to the actual texture of their brunette locks (which, apart from the parting, were both styled in mermaid waves), Kaia looked like a mini version of her mother.

Paris, 2024

The queens of fashion were in the capital of fashion in 2024 as Omega Brand Ambassadors.

Rocking up to the opening night of OMEGA House Paris in matching black ensembles, they posed together for photos.

In this image, it’s clear how identical the pair’s bone structure and features are, especially in terms of jawline, cheekbones, nose and lips.

Beverly Hills, 2019

Way back to 2019 now, when Kaia was just 17. Even the teen’s chic Parisian bob can’t take away the side profile resemblance here.

Kaia has long attended high-profile work events with her mum, and we’ve seen her grow more and more confident in her own skin.

Cindy is obviously super proud of her daughter here, at the Women’s Guild Cedars-Sinai annual luncheon at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

London, 2018

This was the year Kaia Gerber won model of the year at the British Fashion Awards, solidifying herself as a successful model and following in her mother’s fashion industry footsteps.

At only 17 years old, Kaia beat the likes of fellow models Bella Hadid, Adut Akech, Adwoa Aboah, and Winnie Harlow.

Again, this side profile is photographic evidence the pair share exactly the same DNA.

Malibu, 2018

The same year, so need we say more?

Cindy and Kaia stopped for another mother-daughter photo opportunity while attending the 2018 Best Buddies Mother’s Day Brunch Hosted by Vanessa & Gina Hudgens.

Milan, 2017

Another day, another fashion capital. Kaia accompanied her mum to Milan Fashion Week in 2017, where they twinned in monochrome looks.

Kaia went for a patterned black and silver dress, while Cindy opted for a space-like metallic number.

California, 2015

Even as a younger teen, it was obvious that Kaia was going to blossom into a mini-me of her mum.

Again, accompanying Cindy to public events, Kaia was evidently comfortable taking the reins.

In this pic, their smiles are almost identical.

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Caroline Dubois has parted ways with long-time coach Shane McGuigan and will be trained by Manny Robles for her upcoming World title defence

Caroline Dubois has opened up about her decision to part ways with trainer Shane McGuigan.

Dubois had worked alongside McGuigan since 2021, with the partnership proving hugely successful as the pair combined to deliver multiple world title victories during their time together.

The 25 year old is set to defend her world title against Amelia Moore in Birmingham next month, where she will work with new trainer Manny Robles for the first time.

“Most times fighters leave a coach when they lost, and they want someone to blame or throw under the bus, that’s a lame move,” Dubois said when quizzed about the switch.

“At the end of the day, I’m so happy and proud of the journey we had had together. I’ve become the unified world champion, I’ve announced myself into women’s boxing and the biggest stage possible and we did that with Shane McGuigan as my coach and as a massive part of my team.”

She continued: “I just want to say a massive thank you to Shane McGuigan who was a phenomenal coach and is a phenomenal coach. I’m honoured, proud and privileged to be part of that.

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“That work doesn’t get forgotten, lost or disappear; it grows and adds to the stable. I’m on a quest for greatness and will do whatever it takes to get there, and for me, moving to America and trying a different coaching team is a part of that quest.

“I want to grow and develop and be the best fighter you’ve ever seen. A fighter should never stop learning or growing or limit themselves.”

Speaking to IFL TV, Dubois shed light on her decision: “It’s not so much of a situation. It’s just circumstances.

“I’m super happy with what we achieved together. I’m super happy with the time that I spent in the gym with Shane.”

McGuigan, for his part, issued the following statement to The Ring regarding Dubois’ departure: “After many successful years of coaching and training Caroline, installing a professional boxing style going from pro debut to unified world champion we have mutually decided it’s best to part ways as trainer and boxer.

“We have a good relationship and will continue to support Caroline’s career as her management team working closely with MVP and Sky Sports to deliver her the biggest and best fights.”

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England and other UEFA nations are prepared to boycott the next World Cup should FIFA go ahead with their plans to sell shares of their flagship tournament. 

Europe’s governing football body has been staunchly opposed to plans shared this week by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. 

FIFA want to create a new company that would generate £3.1billion in private investment for FIFA tournaments, with Joshua Kushner – brother of Jared, Donald Trump’s son-in-law – leading the group of potential investors. 

In the wake of this summer’s World Cup, Infantino now plans to force FIFA’s associations to decide on the proposal by September 19. 

But after a crisis meeting held on Thursday, England’s Football Associations and fellow UEFA members confirmed that they will boycott FIFA’s tournaments, including next summer’s Women’s World Cup, should the proposal receive the green light. 

UEFA’s 55 member nations met virtually and their decision could all but kill FIFA’s plans due to the sway they hold in international football. 

Gianni Infantino has been widely criticised for his decision to put the World Cup ‘up for sale’

One international football insider told Daily Mail Sport: ‘This is at the nuclear button end of the spectrum, which is impressive’. 

Issuing a statement in the wake of the decision, UEFA underscored that the ‘World Cup is not for sale’ and called the secrecy around the plans ‘irresponsible and indefensible’. 

‘UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions,’ the statement began. ‘UEFA and its 55 member associations stand as one. We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.

‘The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.

‘It is both irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret and brought to the brink of approval without any meaningful consultation with those entrusted with stewarding the game. This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA’s duty as the custodian of world football.

‘National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum: accept the irreversible capture of football’s greatest competitions or bear the consequences. This is not a “democratic decision”, but governance by intimidation – an act of coercion unworthy of an institution entrusted with the stewardship of the global game.

‘But our opposition goes far beyond process.

‘The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in FIFA competitions, football changes forever. Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure. From that moment onwards, every decision on the international calendar, every decision on competition formats and every decision shaping the future of football is no longer driven by what best serves the game, but by what best serves shareholders.

‘This model has no place in world football. Football’s future cannot be dictated by the expectations of those whose first duty is to maximise financial return. Nor can the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters become subordinate to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain.

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham came under pressure to take action

‘Europe’s position is clear. We will never lend this model our legitimacy. No one has the moral authority to sell what they merely hold in trust for the next generation.

‘As a result of today’s discussion, no UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership.

‘Nobody should be in any doubt: UEFA and its national associations will oppose these plans with absolute determination.

‘There are moments when institutions are judged not by what they are prepared to accept, but by what they refuse to compromise. This is one of those moments.

‘Some things are simply too important to sell. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.’

On Wednesday, UEFA had accused FIFA of trying to bribe associations into agreeing with the proposals, which could see them receive up to an additional £15m in revenue. 

In another blow to the plan, the president of the Asian Federation Sheikh Salman wrote of his ‘great concern and disappointment’ in FIFA’s decision to prepare the plans without consultation. 

CONCACAF, which represents 41 countries in North and Central America and the Caribbean, is another federation which has also expressed early skepticism in the wake of the bombshell plans.  

The northbound carriageway was shut at junction 31 near Ribbleton after a collision involving three cars and two vans shortly before midday on Thursday, July 30.

The incident, described by police as involving “minor injuries,” caused traffic to back up for several miles, extending as far south as junction 29 at Lostock Hall and also affecting the M61 at junction 9 at Clayton Brook.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Constabulary said: “At 11.52am today (Thursday, July 30) we were called to reports of a minor injury collision on the M6 northbound, at Junction 31, Samlesbury, involving three cars and two vans.

“Officers are on scene, and the motorway is currently closed northbound across all three lanes.

“If you witnessed this incident or have any footage, please call 101 quoting log 521 of July 30.”

The closure led to severe delays, with traffic monitoring service Inrix at one point reporting queuing traffic and delays of more than an hour between Charnock Richard Services and junction 31.

At 1.54pm, Inrix issued the following update: “Severe delays of 62 minutes and delays increasing on M6 Northbound between M6 (Charnock Richard Services) and J31 A59 Preston New Road (Samlesbury).”

National Highways advised drivers to expect delays of up to 45 minutes on the approach to the incident.

Long queues also formed on surrounding routes, including Preston New Road at Samlesbury, as traffic sought alternative routes around the closure.

By 1.57pm, police confirmed the road had reopened, though long queues and residual delays continued for some time after.

The final queues cleared by mid-afternoon and normal traffic flow was restored.

NEW YORK (AP) — A Senate committee on Thursday advanced Dr. Erica Schwartz’s nomination to be director of the nation’s top public health agency, setting aside concerns that she will not stand up to political meddling.

If confirmed by the full Senate, the 54-year-old would become the 22nd director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats. Her resume includes medical and law degrees, a stint as deputy surgeon general, and a leadership position at the U.S. Coast Guard.

Schwartz appeared to be on shaky ground after a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee this month. The chairman, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and others questioned whether she would be willing to stand up to Republican President Donald Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., if he ordered CDC to do something that was unsupported by science and good public health practice.

But when the committee met last week, Cassidy said he had spoken with Schwartz after that hearing and to others who knew her.

“I’m confident that she knows what she is doing and will stand against those who do not,” said Cassidy, whose support was necessary for the nomination to go forward.

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The committee’s near party-line vote Thursday moved Schwartz’s nomination ahead.

Among those who opposed her was Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent.

“The issue at hand is not complicated,” Sanders said last week. “Will we have people in the Trump administration who have the guts to stand up to people who are anti-science and into conspiracy theories?”

The CDC has faced more than a year of unrest

The CDC has been in turmoil since Trump returned to office last year.

Largely due to layoffs and resignations, the agency has lost 3,000-plus employees, more than one-quarter of its workforce. Morale has plummeted as a succession of mostly temporary leaders have come and gone. The front office has been staffed by political appointees with little or no training in medicine or public health.

When Schwartz was nominated in April, public health experts were cautiously optimistic, citing her background. They also noted she was the choice of Trump and not Kennedy, a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement before he was tapped to oversee the CDC and other federal health agencies.

Kennedy had promised not to change the nation’s vaccination schedule but later attempted a substantial rewrite of vaccine recommendations for kids. Some of those efforts were put on hold this year by a federal judge.

Kennedy’s actions have rankled Cassidy, a physician who initially expressed doubts about Kennedy as Trump’s pick to be health secretary. Cassidy ultimately signed off on the nomination after Kennedy promised not to change the nation’s childhood vaccine recommendations.

Public health groups seek reassurance

At Schwartz’s hearing in July, Cassidy and some other senators asked her what she would do if Kennedy or other political appointees instructed the CDC to make changes that were not supported by science. Schwartz pledged to “never betray the science,” but she repeatedly declined to dissent from some of the actions Kennedy has taken.

The National Public Health Coalition, an organization of former and current CDC workers, was not reassured by her responses.

“The public needed to hear clear commitments about how she would protect CDC guidance from political pressure,” the group said in a statement. “Too often, her stated commitments were incomplete, vague, or missing.”

The group said senators should require specific written commitments from Schwartz on scientific independence, evidence-based vaccine policy, conflicts of interest and other issues.

At the hearing, Schwartz said she was unaware that CDC programs that worked to prevent smoking and promote vaccinations had been curtailed. She declined to commit to taking down a CDC website that suggests a link between childhood vaccines and autism. She said she had not seen it, though she agreed existing medical evidence has not found a link.

Last week, Cassidy said that “as a sign of good faith” officials at the Department of Health and Human Services had modified the page. But this week, it continued to argue that “vaccines do not cause autism” is not an evidence-based claim, despite numerous studies that have found no such link.

Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, interpreted Schwartz’s performance as someone trying to please different factions. He disagreed with how she answered several questions, but continued to support her nomination.

Schwartz is qualified, might be able to rebuild the CDC’s depleted command structure and could start to rebuild public trust in the agency by focusing on bipartisan concerns such as foodborne disease outbreaks, he said in a recent interview.

Dr. Daniel Jernigan, a former top CDC official who resigned from the agency in August, echoed that.

If Schwartz is not confirmed, “it will mean a continued rudderless journey for CDC,” he said.

For Kennedy, “having to start over is probably what he wants — many more months with no one stopping him from pursuing the same anti-science and anti-vaccine efforts he has been pursuing,” Jernigan said.

The CDC has had several leaders under Trump

Schwartz was the third Trump nominee for the office in the past 18 months.

The first was a former Florida congressman, Dr. David Weldon. His Senate hearing in March 2025 was canceled an hour before it was to begin. Weldon said at the time that he had been told not enough senators were willing to vote for him.

The White House then moved on to Susan Monarez, who had been serving as the CDC’s acting director. Monarez was confirmed by the Senate, but she was ousted in less than a month. Trump administration officials said she was not aligned with the president’s agenda so they terminated her.

Since then there have been a series of HHS officials as acting CDC director.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

PASSAIC, N.J. (AP) — A boy died and a second child was missing after the two 10-year-olds went into a rain-swollen river while playing in a park in Passaic, New Jersey, authorities said.

A third child in the water, age 11, survived. The local mayor said her life might have been saved by her brother, the 10-year-old who drowned.

“As he was going under, he pushed her and she ended up by the rocks and she climbed up,” Passaic Mayor Hector Lora told reporters Wednesday night. “She’s alive right now.”

The other 10-year-old, a girl, was still missing early Thursday. Multiple boats and divers searched the river.

“The families really need your prayers and your support,” Lora said early Thursday in a video on Facebook.

No names have been released.

The three children were seen in the Passaic River in Pulaski Park. It wasn’t immediately clear how they ended up in river, which was higher than usual because of heavy rainfall in the region, police in neighboring Paterson said. Firefighters in that community had rescued about 20 people who became trapped by rapidly rising floodwaters.

Lora said that first responders got calls at about 6:20 p.m. and a man in the park tried to rescue the children before they arrived.

“He went in about 5 meters deep (16.4 feet) and when he got too deep and the current was pushing him away, he could not reach them,” Lora said. “The gentleman expressed to us his obvious pain and hurt.”

Rescuers used sonar technology to search the river.

The river flows about 80 miles (129 kilometers) through forest land and suburbs before entering more urban areas and emptying into Newark Bay. Passaic is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of New York City.

GP practices could close if temperatures continue to climb to sweltering highs, fresh guidance suggests.

The Royal College of GPs has made the extreme recommendation to keep doctors and patients safe in the ongoing heatwave.

The UK is currently battling its fourth spell of scorching weather, with temperatures reaching 34C on Wednesday.

The heat is expected to ease off slightly before picking up again next week and reaching 27C in some parts of the country.

The medical body has published a series of guidelines on its website for family doctors, advising ‘closure or relocation if indoor temperatures reach 30C (86F) inside’.

It comes amid scores of accounts from patients who say they’re struggling to see their GP. Around a third of all appointments take place over the phone, NHS data shows.

A recent poll found that one in three elderly patients were forced to fill in online forms by their doctors surgery, which put many off booking an appointment.

Patients have told of waiting months to see a GP, with some claiming their health deteriorated as a result.

As well as potential closures, the Royal College guidance advises clinic staff to ‘use thermometers to check room temperatures frequently – for comfort, temperatures should be below 26C.’

High indoor temperatures in sweltering conditions can leave staff dehydrated, stressed and more likely to make errors in judgment, the RCGP said.

Vulnerable patients are also more susceptible to the adverse effects of heat, increasing the risk of dehydration, stroke and organ failure. 

As such, the college is advising practices to take extra measures to keep their premises cool, and fast track high-risk patients for same-day appointments in hot weather. 

GP surgeries should also consider earlier start times to avoid the hottest part of the day, the RCGP’s guide reads.  

It comes as the Doctors’ Association UK called for a maximum legal working temperature in GP surgeries in June, after a survey of NHS staff saw 83 per cent of staff describe their workplace as ‘very’ or ‘dangerously hot’. 

Earlier this month, surgeons admitted they were having to stop operations part way through due to dehydration, dizziness and risk of fainting. 

‘There is nothing extraordinary, nor is it an isolated incident,’ Dr Tim Lane, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said. 

‘It is a symptom of a deeper problem: too many of our hospitals are no longer equipped to deal with the hot summers Britain now experiences.’ 

The latest guidance comes amid the cancellation of blood tests due to the hot weather and restrictions on air-conditioning units. 

Blood samples are susceptible to degradation in the heat, resulting in unreliable test results.

But guidance states that GP surgeries should explore every other avenue to reduce indoor temperatures before using air conditioning units, making it extremely difficult for surgeries to keep room temperatures below the 25C required to store blood samples safely.  

Meanwhile, the NHS faces a ‘summer onslaught’, with record A&E attendances in June. 

Shocking figures today revealed deaths in Britain linked to soaring temperatures in May and June this year are already nearly double the entire figure for 2025. 

Across these two months there have already been 2,877 heat-related fatalities. Last year, there were just 1,504 total heat deaths recorded.  

‘These figures highlight the significant danger that very hot weather can pose to people’s health,’ Dr Ross Thompson, Principal Environmental Public Health Scientist at UKHSA said.

The total of 2,877 deaths is almost double the 1,504 across the UK heatwaves over the three months from June to August last year.  

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper added: ‘The sweltering heat has had a serious impact this summer on people’s health and on our NHS.

‘For many years, we have been used to winter pressures in our NHS and the need to support those who are vulnerable in the coldest weather. 

‘But now we are seeing the summer heat have an increasingly serious impact on the health of thousands of people, and on the pressures facing our NHS too.’