‘Critical incident’ remains at QA despite repairs to cooling systems as the hot hospital cools down

Cooling systems are up and running at Queen Alexandra Hospital with a ‘critical incident’ still declared as the hospital building cools down.

Chiller units, which failed yesterday under the intense heat, are now up and running but the exceptionally hot weather has meant that cooling back down vital infrastructure is taking much longer than normal, the hospital trust said.

Critical clinical and digital services are slowly returning at the Portsmouth hospital, but the extreme heat created by the intense heatwave means this process is happening slowly.

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said that patient safety remains its number one priority and so it has extended the critical incident so that it can bring services back online ‘in a safe and controlled way’.

This means that some appointments will continue to be postponed until temperatures have been stabilised, with those patients affected being contacted.

Michelle Stanley, Acting Chief Executive, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, said: "Our teams have worked hard to fix the initial issue and our chillers are now back and working. However, the extreme heat means the process of cooling key infrastructure is taking longer than hoped. With temperatures still high we are working to bring back services in a controlled manner to ensure the safety of our patients and staff.

“We would like to thank all our partners in the region who have stepped in to help during the incident, their support has been greatly appreciated.”

Anyone with an appointment who has not heard from the hospital is asked to attend as expected.

The trust said that essential services continue to remain available for anyone who needs them and that if you require urgent medical help to contact NHS 111 or dial 999.

A statement from the hospital added: “If you do need to attend the emergency department, please bring plenty of water, come alone or only bring one person with you. We appreciate this might be difficult with local schools closed, but it will greatly support our ability to return to full capacity.

“Our local communities should continue to use alternative healthcare options for non-urgent medical concerns whenever possible. This includes community pharmacies, GP practices, urgent treatment centres and NHS 111.

“With the extreme heat continuing into the evening, collecting loved ones who are ready to leave hospital will be hugely important. Prompt and safe discharges help free up beds for patients requiring urgent treatment and support us in responding to the incident.”