27 June 2026

Critical Incident stood down at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust 

Thanks to the exceptional efforts of our staff and engineering teams, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) has today (Saturday 27 June) stood down the Critical Incident at Queen Alexandra Hospital. 

The decision to declare a Critical Incident was made on Wednesday 24 June following the failure of several chiller units during the period of extreme heat. This caused elevated temperatures across critical clinical areas, including operating theatres, diagnostic scanning facilities and digital infrastructure, requiring us to temporarily postpone some planned procedures. 

Engineers have worked to repair the equipment and successfully 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, Chief Delivery Officer at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, 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." 

While the Critical Incident has been stood down, Queen Alexandra Hospital remains under significant pressure. 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.