As the UK heats up, many of us are enjoying the sunshine, taking a moment to splash, paddle, and rehydrate. But while the weather warms, it’s worth remembering that risk levels can rise just as quickly.

In financial services, pressure often builds quietly. Increased workloads, stretched teams, and small process shortcuts can quickly shift your risk rating from green to amber… and, if left unchecked, to red. That’s when firms risk breaching the rules and, more importantly, failing to deliver good outcomes for customers.

So how do you keep your cool?

Think of your business like a thermostat. It needs regular adjustment and monitoring to ensure it doesn’t overheat. Under Consumer Duty, this means taking a step back and asking:

• Do we need a temperature check on how we’re delivering customer outcomes?
• Are our communications still clear, fair, and not misleading?
• Are we continuing to support vulnerable customers effectively?
• Are our teams coping, or are they starting to wilt under pressure?

It’s easy to focus on customer outcomes alone, but we shouldn’t forget our staff. The heat can affect the service customers receive.

At Create Solutions, we help firms keep their cool.

We support you to rehydrate and refresh your compliance frameworks, strengthen risk mitigation, and ensure your controls remain effective—even when the pressure rises.

Whether it’s a targeted review, governance support, or a full Consumer Duty “temperature check,” we help you identify early warning signs before risks escalate.

Because good compliance isn’t about reacting when things boil over—it’s about maintaining the right conditions from the start.

So enjoy the weather—but don’t forget to check your internal climate.

If you’d like a quick temperature check on your Consumer Duty approach, we’re here to help.

Contact Karen@createsolutions.co.uk  Tel 0161 870 6637