---
title: "Preparing Hospitals for Water Shortages: A Critical Analysis"
id: "bmj-5-water-shortages-how-can-hospitals-prepare-and-are-water-companies-doing-enough"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/bmj-5-water-shortages-how-can-hospitals-prepare-and-are-water-companies-doing-enough"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Critical Care"
source_name: "BMJ"
source_url: "http://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1"
published_at: "2026-10-22T09:21:10.000Z"
evidence_level: "Journal Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Preparing Hospitals for Water Shortages: A Critical Analysis
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/bmj-5-water-shortages-how-can-hospitals-prepare-and-are-water-companies-doing-enough
- **Specialty:** [Critical Care](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/critical-care.md)
- **Primary Source:** BMJ
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](http://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1)
- **Published At:** 2026-10-22T09:21:10.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Journal Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- Extreme summer droughts caused significant water shortages in hospitals across England and Wales. - Hospitals like Princess of Wales and Leighton experienced closures due to water outages. - Guidance recommends hospitals maintain a minimum of 12 hours of water on-site. - Contingency plans should include alternative water sources and multidisciplinary water safety teams. - Lessons can be learned from Australian hospitals' proactive water management practices. - Water companies face legal obligations to ensure supply prioritization for vulnerable customers such as hospitals. - Financial penalties may serve as a deterrent for neglecting regulatory duties. - Concerns grow about the privatization of water companies amid increasing climate challenges.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
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[News & Views](https://www.bmj.com/us/news) 2. Water shortages: how... 3. Water shortages: how can hospitals prepare and are water companies doing enough? Feature # Water shortages: how can hospitals prepare and are water companies doing enough? BMJ 2026; 395 doi: (Published 22 October 2026) Cite this as: BMJ 2026;395:e101102 * [Article](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102 "Article Tab - Article")[](https://www.bmj.com/panels_ajax_tab/jnl_bmj_tab_art/node:1129233/1 "Article Tab - Article") * [Related content](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102/related "Article Tab - Related Articles")[](https://www.bmj.com/panels_ajax_tab/jnl_bmj_tab_related_art/node:1129233/1 "Article Tab - Related Articles") * [Metrics](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102/article-info "Article Tab - Info & Metrics")[](https://www.bmj.com/panels_ajax_tab/jnl_bmj_tab_info/node:1129233/1 "Article Tab - Info & Metrics") * [Responses](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102/rapid-responses "BMJ Article Related Rapid Responses")[](https://www.bmj.com/panels_ajax_tab/bmj_related_rapid_responses/node:1129233/1 "BMJ Article Related Rapid Responses") * [Peer review](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102/peer-review "Article Tab - Peer review")[](https://www.bmj.com/panels_ajax_tab/jnl_bmj_tab_peer_review/node:1129233/1 "Article Tab - Peer review") * [](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102/submit-a-rapid-response "BMJ Rapid Responses Form")[](https://www.bmj.com/panels_ajax_tab/bmj_rapid_responses_form/node:1129233/1 "BMJ Rapid Responses Form") ![Loading](https://www.bmj.com/sites/all/modules/contrib/panels_ajax_tab/images/loading.gif) 1. Canqi Li, reporter [Author affiliations](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1) 1. Budapest 1. reporter@bmj.com Extreme heat and lack of rainfall saw drought declared in the UK this summer. **Canqi Li** looks at how hospitals—and water companies—handle water shortages Earlier this year a handful of hospitals across England and Wales ran out of water. “Due to a water shortage, we are currently unable to accept patients into the emergency department this evening while we work to resolve the issue,” read a statement issued by Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, Wales.[1](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-1) The department resumed admitting patients a few hours later, and the water shortage was reportedly resolved the next day.[1](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-1)[2](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-2) But it was not alone. Cheshire’s Leighton Hospital,[3](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-3)[4](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-4) Sussex’s Queen Victoria Hospital,[5](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-5) London’s Chase Farm Hospital,[6](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-6) and Kent’s Darent Valley Hospital[7](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-7)[8](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-8) have all had to deal with water supply issues. These shortages occurred as England and Wales saw the hottest spring on record, followed by heatwaves across the summer and drought. These extreme weather events are expected to increase, as a result of climate change, meaning that hospitals could face more frequent water shortages in the future. Without effective measures, the Environment Agency expects the nation to face a daily water shortage of about five billion litres by the 2050s.[9](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-9) ## How should hospitals prepare for water shortages? Under guidance issued by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, healthcare facilities are supposed to ensure that they have enough reserve water stored to minimise water supply disruptions. They are recommended to have a “nominal 12 hours of on-site storage” available.[10](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-10)[11](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-11)[12](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-12) Hospitals are also supposed to have alternative water supply sources that are not “vulnerable to the cause of loss of the original supply.” These include a second service connection from the hospital’s water supplier or a private supply. “Private supply means water that is supplied independently of the communal water provider,” says Quentin Grafton, Unesco chairholder in water economics. The Department of Health’s 2016 memorandum says that this could involve the hospital drilling a borehole or a well to access groundwater.[12](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-12) Queen Victoria Hospital does not have any boreholes or wells, but a spokesperson for the hospital told _The BMJ_ that it had “contingency arrangements for any disruption to our water supply, including access to bottled water and alternative water supplies if required, to support the continuity of essential patient services.” Other sections of the memorandum advise hospitals to work with suppliers to create plans for major supply incidents, such as getting water delivered from storage cisterns. Yun Hang, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Texas at Houston, sees different alternative water supply sources as “serving different purposes. “Bottled water can help meet immediate, short term needs, while a borehole or well may provide a more sustained source if local water conditions, water quality, infrastructure, and regulations allow,” she says. That said, she emphasises that the most resilient strategy is to have multiple alternative sources instead of depending on a single option. The memorandums say that hospitals also need “water safety groups”—multidisciplinary teams responsible for identifying and managing water related hazards.[11](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-11)[12](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-12) ## Drought planning should not be a “one-off panic response” Under UK law, hospitals are obliged to control their water supply risks to ensure the safety of staff and patients, explains Bettina Lange, professor of law and regulation at the University of Oxford.[13](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-13) Lange tells _The BMJ_ that hospitals tend to use lots of water for laundry and catering—and these are areas where they can look to reduce their water consumption. “If the hospital uses contracted services for them, it can check who its current service supplier is and ask the supplier to help reduce the hospital’s water footprint,” she says. “If the hospital does its laundry in house, it can look at making it more efficient.” The UK can also learn from hospitals around the world, especially those in Australia. Cara Beal, director of the Griffith Institute for Human and Environmental Resilience in Brisbane, says that hospitals in Australia have “harvested rainwater, fitted low flow taps and toilets, and a few even drilled their own bores to avoid being fully dependent on the town supply.” “They also recycle water from dialysis machines for non-drinking uses,” she says. Beal emphasises that hospitals should treat drought planning as a regularly audited and funded long term policy, not a “one-off panic response.” She highlights the needs of patients with high blood pressure or kidney issues. “They need to be told directly and early what the back-up plan is, not just get generic reassurance,” Beal says. “It’s also worth checking with the maintenance staff or the water service providers to ensure the tap water is safe to drink during a shortage, as emergency water supplies aren’t always the same quality.” ## Financially punishing water companies However, hospitals cannot be solely responsible for the supply of water, Lange says. “The communication chain between hospitals, water companies, and—where relevant—water retailers is crucial for water conservation and leakage control.” In the UK the Security and Emergency Measures Direction 2022, issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to water companies in England and Wales, says that water suppliers have a duty to prioritise vulnerable customers and sites, such as hospitals.[14](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-14) Several suppliers contacted by _The BMJ_ —including Thames Water and South East Water, which were involved in the Chase Farm Hospital and Queen Victoria Hospital incidents, respectively—claimed to have taken this duty into account. Water companies are also legally required to devise drought plans and update them at least every five years.[15](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-15) _The BMJ_ reviewed five water companies’ drought plans and identified some recurrent themes: excluding health and safety related water use from hosepipe bans; protecting critical infrastructure during water pressure management and severe droughts; and prioritising communication with, and alternative water supplies for, vulnerable groups.[16](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-16)[17](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-17)[18](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-18)[19](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-19)[20](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-20) “We maintain bespoke tanker supply plans for every hospital across our region,” a spokesperson for Southern Water said. They added that these plans included information about emergency water requirements, delivery arrangements, and connection points. The government’s Independent Water Commission, however, has expressed concerns that the companies’ profit making incentives clash with their environmental and customer duties.[21](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-21) Environmental campaigners have also recently called for the companies’ emergency drought plans to be publicised. Earlier this year, the _Guardian_ reported that the government refused to make these drought plans publicly available owing to security reasons.[22](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-22) Grafton thinks there should be more severe financial punishments for water companies that neglect their duties. “They need to be held accountable for failing to do their job,” he says, adding that hospitals should not have to deal with water shortages in a country like the UK. The current punishments for a water company that fails to adhere to its duties include a fine of up to 10% of the company’s relevant turnover, a ban on bonuses to the company’s executives, and—if the water supplied is unfit for human consumption—an unlimited fine for the company.[23](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-23)[24](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-24) If the executives participate in obstructing regulatory investigations carried out by the drinking water inspectors, they may face up to two years in prison, a fine, or both.[24](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-24) In light of the summer drought, concerns around the privatisation of the water industry have again risen to the surface and some campaigners are calling for it to be renationalised. Tackling privatisation concerns at the Labour Party Conference (29 September), prime minister Andy Burnham said that he would repeal the ban on the ‌public ownership of water companies, opening the door for greater public control.[25](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#ref-25) ## Footnotes * Competing interests: none. * Provenance and peer review: Commissioned, not externally peer reviewed ## References 1. [↵](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text") ITV News Wales. Princess of Wales Hospital stops accepting emergency patients due to water shortage. ITV News. 20 May 2026. 2. [↵](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#xref-ref-2-1 "View reference 2 in text") Francis B. Health board issues update after water outage left A&E unable to accept patients. WalesOnline. 19 May 2026. 3. [↵](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#xref-ref-3-1 "View reference 3 in text") McIntyre A. Hospital delays as site hit by water supply issue. BBC News. 19 May 2026. 4. [↵](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#xref-ref-4-1 "View reference 4 in text") Tooth J. Disruption due to water supply issue at Leighton Hospital. Northwich & Winsford Guardian. 19 May 2026. 5. [↵](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#xref-ref-5-1 "View reference 5 in text") Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Keeping services running during the local water supply issue. 11 Jan 2026. 6. [↵](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#xref-ref-6-1 "View reference 6 in text") Cracknell J. Chase Farm Hospital hit by Enfield water crisis. Enfield Dispatch. 19 Aug 2026. 7. [↵](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#xref-ref-7-1 "View reference 7 in text") Sexton D. Hospital declares critical incident due to water problems. BBC News. 5 May 2026. 8. [↵](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#xref-ref-8-1 "View reference 8 in text") Norman M. Hospital still affected months after water issues. BBC News. 23 Jul 2026. 9. [↵](https://www.bmj.com/content/395/bmj-2026-101102.short?rss=1#xref-ref-9-1 "View reference 9 in text") Environment and Climate Change Committee. Lords Committee
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