QA critical incident ends as chillers are repaired and hospital cools down

The critical incident at Queen Alexandra Hospital has been ended as the hospital is back on its feet following the failure of chiller units.

QA was placed into a critical incident - a status which means it is not functioning properly - after the heatwave placed too much stress on the cooling system, which failed. This led to high temperatures across the hospital including in operating theatres and scanning areas, so some procedures had to be postponed.

Portsmouth Hospitals University Trust, which runs the hospital, says that engineers have repaired the equipment and restored full cooling capacity to the site. All digital and clinical systems are now functioning normally and temperatures are stabilising in our service areas.

Lee McPhail, the trust’s chief delivery officer, said: "The pressures created by the extreme heatwave, combined with the infrastructure failures, created a highly challenging environment for our hospital. I want to extend my sincere thanks to everyone involved in the response – from our clinical teams caring for patients, to colleagues in estates, digital, corporate and operational services who worked tirelessly to keep services safe and running. I'm also grateful to our health and care partners across the region for their support throughout this incident.

"We are very sorry to patients whose appointments or planned procedures were disrupted. Our teams are working hard to contact everyone affected and rearrange their care as a priority."

In a statement, the hospital said that while the critical incident has ended, QA is still “under significant pressure”. It added: “We continue to see high demand, with increasing numbers of patients requiring urgent and emergency care. Our focus is now on safely recovering services while maintaining capacity for those who need us most.”

To help our teams continue caring for those who need us most, we ask our local community to:

• Choose the right service: Only attend the Emergency Department for life-threatening injuries or illnesses. If you need urgent medical advice but it is not an emergency, please use NHS 111 online, visit a local community pharmacy, urgent treatment centre or contact your GP practice.
• Help us free up beds: If you have a loved one who is ready to leave hospital, please help by arranging transport and bringing clothing early in the day.
• Stay safe in the heat: Drink plenty of water, keep cool where possible, avoid prolonged periods in direct sunlight and check on vulnerable family members, friends and neighbours.
• Attend appointments as planned: If you have an outpatient appointment or procedure, please attend as normal unless you are contacted directly by the Trust.