After suspending visiting earlier in the year, we are now able to offer limited visiting to some wards at the discretion of the nurse in-charge.”
Read more on visiting times...
We recognise the impact that a long stay in hospital can have on families and the importance of maintaining strong communication. Our ward staff are keeping in touch with patients’ next of kin directly and our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can help pass on personal messages from family and friends.
After suspending visiting earlier in the year, we are now able to offer limited visiting to some wards at the discretion of the nurse in-charge.”
Read more on visiting times...
We recognise the impact that a long stay in hospital can have on families and the importance of maintaining strong communication. Our ward staff are keeping in touch with patients’ next of kin directly and our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can help pass on personal messages from family and friends.
The Queen Alexandra Hospital is located just on the hill slopes of Portsdown Hill overlooking Portsmouth. It is conveniently situated for both the M27 and A3M.
Family members and carers play an important role in supporting patients during an episode of ill health. We are committed to the active involvement of family members, friends and carers during a hospital stay. Family members and carers play an important role in supporting patients during an episode of ill health.
More information on visiting hospital for an appointment.
If you've had experience of using our services and would like to make a comment then please contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). Your views are very important to us and we would like to hear where you think improvements are needed or where things have gone so well that you would like to share your thanks or gratitude with the staff involved. When things have not gone so well then you can be sure that we want to hear from you, so please get in touch with PALS.
During your stay in hospital you will meet a number of different members of staff. All members of staff wear name badges, but if you are not sure who someone is or what they do, please feel free to ask them to introduce themselves and explain what they do.
If you have any questions about your treatment, please ask a doctor or a nurse.
There are lots of opportunities for you to get involved with the Trust, from volunteering to attending our public meetings, our Annual General Meeting or our hospital open day which is held every year.
We welcome and value your feedback and use the views you share with us in a number of ways to learn and make improvements as well as sharing best practice. Feedback can be provided in a number of ways.
Last updated: 11 June 2021
Working Together: Joint Hospital Group (South) personnel outside Queen Alexandra Hospital
Queen Alexandra Hospital (QA) started life more than a century ago as a military hospital and we are proud to have maintained our links with the armed services to this day.
Today our hospital is home to Joint Hospital Group (South), the largest of the UK’s four military hospital units, led by Commander Alister Witt.
More than 200 military medical personnel – a mix of Doctors, Nurses, Healthcare Assistants, and Allied Healthcare Professionals from the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Army – work alongside NHS colleagues to care for our patients.
Working at QA means these dedicated military clinicians can maintain and develop their skills at QA, ensuring they are ready to provide care to armed forces personnel wherever they are deployed worldwide.
Military and NHS staff work together as one team at QA. In 2019, Surgeon Captain Barrie Dekker was appointed as the hospital’s Divisional Director of Surgery and Outpatients, succeeding Colonel Neil MacKenzie. The appointment of military personnel to leadership roles in the Trust further cements our strong teamwork and helps share best practice between the NHS and military.
Veteran Aware
We are proud to be among the first NHS services to be accredited as “Veteran Aware”.
This mark of distinction is a huge honour. It means that patients who have served in the UK armed forces are cared for by staff who have received training and education on the specific physical and mental health needs of veterans, and who can signpost them to other local support.
We have also signed the Armed Forces Covenant and are a member of the Veterans Covenant Hospital Alliance, sharing and driving best practice in NHS care for people who serve or have served in the UK armed forces and their families.
What this means
If you, your spouse or partner have ever served in the UK armed forces, let us know
Being identified as a veteran in your NHS medical notes will ensure you are able to access specific veterans’ health services, such as those for mental health, hearing loss, limb amputation and wheelchairs.
All veterans are entitled to priority access to NHS care for service-related conditions. However, this is always subject to clinical need and does not mean that you will automatically be treated ahead of others who have a more urgent clinical need.
Further information and support
A reservist is a member of a reserve military force, including the Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve, the Army Reserve and the Reserve Air Forces. We have about 12 reservists at the Trust, who are a valuable part of the Trust team. They cover a variety of roles from general ward roles through to specialisations.
Our reservists have a commitment to 24 days of service a year, and during these days they can gain leadership and management skills through the Ministry of Defence which doesn’t impact their full time job roles.
We proudly support reservists with their development and we have received a silver award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, which encourages employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same. You can read more here (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defence-employer-recognition-scheme/defence-employer-recognition-scheme#silver-award). Managers within the Trust facilitate and support attendance at reservist training sessions and annual camps.
We recognise the knowledge and breadth of experience that reservists can bring to the workplace and fully support staff who are members of or who wish to join the Volunteer Reserve Forces, for more information click here.
