Hospital Installs Portable Air Conditioning Units Ahead of Latest Heatwave

Portable air conditioning units have been installed across Jersey's General Hospital as the Island prepares for another spell of exceptionally hot weather.

The Health Department confirmed the new units are now in place after record temperatures in June raised concerns about the impact of extreme heat on patients, visitors and hospital staff.

The move comes after soaring temperatures forced the postponement of more than 30 non-urgent operations last month when two of the hospital's seven operating theatres became too hot to use safely.

Public Health officials say the additional cooling equipment has been introduced in time for this week's forecast, with temperatures expected to climb as high as 34°C.

The hot conditions also sparked public concern over patient comfort. A mother who described conditions on Robin Ward while staying with her baby launched a petition calling for permanent air conditioning throughout the hospital. The petition has since attracted more than 2,600 signatures, comfortably exceeding the threshold required for an official ministerial response.

The latest measures follow earlier disruption in May, when around 200 operations were postponed after the hospital's main air conditioning system failed because of problems with a chilled water unit on the roof. Health officials have confirmed that the operating theatre issues experienced during June's heatwave were unrelated to that earlier fault.