Ursula Ward, Chief Executive, said: "As the cold weather continues we are experiencing high numbers of people attending the Emergency Department. Last week we saw nearly 1,500 people in the department and over the weekend the majority of patients had snow related injuries, resulting in the orthopaedic department continuing to be very busy. Despite the weather conditions, our staff have coped very well, with some walking many miles to work or staying over night to ensure they can work their shift. We have had a lot of support from St John’s Ambulance and the Salvation Army along with community and hospital volunteers who have supplied 4x4 vehicles to bring patients and staff to the hospital and take them home. The efforts of everyone at the hospital, across all areas, has been superb and everyone has worked hard together to ensure patient safety and care remains at the highest level.

Last week we took the decision to postpone some planned surgery and outpatient appointments. Most of our outpatient clinics and appointments are running again however some specialties are running on a limited capacity and have been refocused to prioritise the clinically urgent cases. Patients who have had their appointment postponed will be contacted and if any patient is concerned about their appointment they should contact the relevant department as soon as possible.  In addition if a patient is unable to attend their appointment they need to let the relevant department know as soon as possible. 

Elective surgery is running from today (Monday 11 January). The cases have been re-prioritised to provide capacity for the emergency cases who have been admitted in recent days and those who are clinically urgent. We are anticipating that all elective surgery will be back to normal from Wednesday.

The decision to postpone appointments or surgery has not been taken lightly and we are working hard to ensure patients will be seen and treated as soon as possible.

The operational activity of the hospital will continue to be reviewed and we would urge anyone who needs medical treatment over the next few days to Choose Well and consider where is the most appropriate place to receive treatment, and to access it promptly. The last thing we would want to do is stop people from attending the Emergency Department if they really need it, but it is for emergencies like severe head injuries and chest pain. Other NHS services include NHS Direct and local provision includes the Minor Injuries Unit at Gosport War Memorial Hospital and the St Mary's Treatment Centre at St Mary's Hospital providing treatments for cuts, sprains and minor fractures."