Statement of the incident means that priority will be given to the provision of critical emergency services. A statement on the PHU website said: “The safety of our patients and staff remains our top priority.
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Sign up for public interest bulletins – get the latest coronavirus news QA Hospital, Portsmouth on Thursday 25 November 2021 Photo: GV Outside the Accident and Emergency Area Picture by Habibur Rahman
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read more A “critical incident” was reported to the South Central Ambulance Service in Hampshire due to … “Our beds are full and the emergency department (ED) remains full of patients in need of admission. We have limited space to treat emergency patients and are only able to treat patients with life-threatening conditions and injuries. “Please do not attend the ED unless it is urgent. Non-emergency attendances will not appear and will be redirected to emergency treatment centers at St Mary’s Hospital, Gosport and Petersfield. “Do not call 999 unless it is a serious or life-threatening emergency, as the ambulance service is also under intense pressure and operating in a critical situation.” Today (April 6) the South Ambulance Service covering Portsmouth also declared a critical incident – saying it could only monitor life-threatening situations. It comes as The News reported how the QA was experiencing serious difficulties, with around 600 people falling ill one day. City Councilman Gerald Vernon-Jackson said there were issues where ambulances could not transport patients to the emergency department on April 4, with a combined waiting time of 108 hours. And it has been confirmed that almost every hospital bed in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is full, with more than 650 people with Covid being cared for in hospitals across the region – more than two and a half times higher than at the peak of January winter More than 2,800 Hampshire NHS staff members are ill – with almost half missing due to Covid-19 illness The PHU statement added: “Our immediate priority is to ensure that beds are available to accommodate our most seriously ill patients and to focus on the safe extraction of as many patients as possible. We ask our families and loved ones to support us in this and to collect patients as soon as they are ready to be discharged. “We will review the situation regularly and thank you for all your support during this difficult and busy time.”
