Current visiting times

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...


Messages for loved ones and keeping in touch

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.

Read more information about messages for loved ones…

Current visiting times

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...


Messages for loved ones and keeping in touch

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.

Read more information about messages for loved ones…

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.

News

Doting grandfather meets newest granddaughter for the first time before peacefully passing away

Date: 22 April 2022

Paul Kempton and family

Thanks to the dedicated teams at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, a Portchester grandfather Paul Kempton was recently able to meet his newest granddaughter for the first time before peacefully passing away.

With the ever-changing COVID restrictions and 63-year-old Paul going in and out of hospital, the possibility of him getting to meet his granddaughter, Millie, was becoming very difficult.

Desperate to meet the ten-month-old, the family hadn’t seen Ella and her partner since they left for Australia four years ago where Ella fell pregnant and gave birth during lockdown.

Luckily, restrictions changed at the beginning of March and Ella booked last minute flights home. But just two days before she was due to fly home, her father was rushed back into hospital where he tested positive for Covid-19.

With Paul in quarantine on the ward, Ella was finally back in the UK but unable to bring Millie in for a visit. After five weeks and two rescheduled flights, it seemed that the family were not going to be able to introduce Millie to her grandad.

After speaking with ward manager Danni Munks, Danni simply couldn’t let Ella and her family fly back to Australia without Paul meeting his granddaughter. Danni went above and beyond organising a surprise for Paul to be wheeled outside of the ward.

Millie finally got to meet her grandad.

In what had been a very hard and emotional time for the family, Ella said it was a moment of happiness and joy. She said: “I can’t thank Danni and the ward staff enough for making that happen, especially Joseph who had taken such wonderful care of my dad.”

Sadly, during Ella’s journey back to Australia, Paul passed away peacefully in his sleep. Surrounded by his family, they said their final goodbyes.

“The team on his ward were so wonderful during this time, and my mum and my sister were in the room with him as he drifted off, and myself on FaceTime from Singapore airport,” Ella noted. “We are all unbelievably devastated, and I’m struggling to find the words to express our sadness. It does however make us all the more grateful that Danni’s team were so accommodating and helped us make those last few days so special.”

Paul leaves behind his wife Julie of 43 years, eldest daughter Lauren and granddaughter three-year-old Alice.

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