No plans for critical incident at QA Hospital in Portsmouth but is 'very busy' as pressure continues at Winchester and Basingstoke
Critical incidents ongoing at Winchester and Basingstoke hospitals
With two Hampshire hospitals entering their third day of a critical incident, The News has been advised that there are no plans in place for Queen Alexandra Hospital to follow suit.
Winchester and Basingstoke hospitals entered a critical incident on June 3 with Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust stating they are under “extreme and sustained pressure”. Despite being “very busy”, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) who run QA in Cosham, have said they are “continuing to safely manage demand”.
To help reduce delays, PHU are asking patients to choose the right services to match their needs.
Steve Mathieu, PHU Medical Director, said, “Like many others, our hospitals remain very busy, but we are continuing to safely manage demand. We review daily what we can do to improve patient experience and reduce delays. We’d like to thank everyone who, by choosing the right service for their needs, is helping keep our busy Emergency Department available for those who need it.
“Patients are being seen and cared for, but we know some can experience delays. A key part of reducing these delays is working with others to support patients ready to leave hospital to do so in the timeliest way possible. We continue to work with our health and social care partners across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to improve this.
“We understand it can be confusing knowing which service is right for your needs when you feel unwell. NHS 111 and the NHS App can help assess your concerns and direct you to the right service or provide self-care advice when appropriate. Both these services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust confirmed on Friday, June 5 that the critical incident is ongoing at two of its hospitals. A spokesperson said: “Pressures continue to be high across our hospitals and our teams are doing everything they can to care for those who need us and safely discharge those who are ready to leave.
“Declaring critical incident enables us to adapt services and work even closer with system partners to implement a series of immediate additional actions to protect patient safety. This includes increasing our opportunities to discharge efficiently and enabling patients to recover in the most suitable non-acute hospital setting for their needs.”