"We are sorry" - QA Hospital emergency patients apologised to after long waits and overcrowding issues raised by CQC

The hospital was inspected between May 6 and 10 in an unannounced visit by the CQC in response to concerns raised around the service. Inspectors found the department was “often crowded” and patients were treated in “inappropriate spaces such as corridors and non-clinal spaces”.

Subsequently, the CQC report rated the urgent and emergency services as ‘requires improvement’. It was the first inspection of the new emergency department since it opened in November 2024 and has raised doubts over its suitability, especially regarding its capacity to cope with the demand.

Since moving to the new department the old adult emergency department has remained vacant as it requires significant work and funding to make it suitable for use. However, in response to the demand, a newly renovated space was opened last week for emergency department staff to refer patients that require urgent care rather than emergency.

When the the story of the CQC inspection was posted by The News, a number of readers commented on Facebook sharing their experiences which largely echoed the concerns raised in the report. There were numerous stories of long waiting times, a lack of privacy and no beds being available.

Portsmouth Hospital University NHS Trust (PHU), who run QA, have said that the main issue is the number of patients who are attending the emergency department who do not need that level of care.

A PHU spokesperson said: "The Emergency Department was co-designed with clinicians and patient representatives. The adult waiting room was designed for the number of patients expected to attend in the future and considering the new pathways in place. However, we have seen a continued rise in the number of patients attending ED that do not need emergency level care.

“This means the waiting area is often full and patients are not having the experience we would like. Our staff continue to support patients in choosing the right service for their needs, reducing delay.”

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This issue was also touched on in the CQC report with staff telling inspectors they felt clinicians “did not engage in mitigating the risk posed by overcrowding in emergency department by facilitating flow throughout the hospital and preventing emergency department attendances".

In addition, PHU also urge patients to use the correct treatment areas available. They ask anyone who needs urgent care to visit the Urgent Treatment Centres either at St Mary’s, Petersfield, or Gosport with the emergency department needed for life-saving care.

The trust has apologised for the long wait times that patients have experienced at the new department.

The spokesperson said: "We are sorry to anyone who has experienced long wait times when trying to access emergency care. Our staff are working hard to ensure patients can access care and treatment in a timely way.

“We have introduced new pathways to help move patients out of the ED as quickly as possible, this includes redirecting them to other services such as Urgent Treatment Centres or Same Day Emergency Care for people with specialty conditions such as cancer.

"Last week we opened renovated space within the hospital that co-locates two existing urgent care services providing improved patient access and increased capacity. Staffed by a multidisciplinary care team, the service takes referrals from the Emergency Department for patients that need urgent, but not emergency care.

“This will help us ensure patients are seen in a timely way, whilst reducing waiting times across our other services.”

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On top of the overcrowding issue, the CQC also highlighted further concerns, including the dedicated mental health treatment areas in the new department. These did not conform to best practice and guidelines with “shortfalls” presenting a “risk of increased harm to vulnerable patients”.

PHU has advised work is currently underway to bring these up to standard.

While there were concerns raised over emergency services at QA, staff were praised in both the CQC report and by people commenting on our Facebook post.

The CQC report stated staff were said to regularly discuss safeguarding concerns in huddles and meetings. The inspectors also described staff as “friendly and helpful” when administering care.

The overall rating of the hospital is ‘good’. The full report can be found here.