We know how important it is for patients and families to be able to see visitors. Please help us keep our patients and staff as safe as possible by checking the guidance below before you visiting.
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 Voluntary Services team 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.
Our Strategy – Working Together, Improving Together
Our strategy sets out our vision, values, strategic aims and most importantly, how we will deliver against these ambitions for our patients, communities, and people in the future.
It is not just a document, it is for and about everyone at PHU, building on what we have achieved with a renewed focus on continuous improvement and the need to continue to work together and improve together to achieve our goals.
A full copy of the strategy can be downloaded here.
For more information, please visit our strategy webpage.
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.
Date: 15 June 2023
With Clean Air Day taking place this week (Thursday 15 June), it’s the perfect opportunity to raise awareness about the impact air pollution can have on us and our environment, as well as what we can do to tackle it. However, there is much more to making these improvements than many may be aware of.
Developments across healthcare over the past few years have been incredible but given the negative impact air pollution can have on our health, we need to find ways of improving the quality of the air that we breathe. In 2022, Portsmouth Hospitals University (PHU) NHS Trust launched its Green Plan setting out how we aim to improve our environmental sustainability and take actions that help us on a path to becoming net zero carbon by 2040.
From encouraging ways to travel for our staff and patients that are low carbon, to protecting green spaces and reducing waste, there are lots of ways we as an organisation are working with our colleagues and partners to help our communities live healthier more sustainable lives.
Mark Orchard, Chief Financial Officer at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and executive lead for sustainability, said, “We are committed to playing our part in tackling climate change. We are proud to have been able to share how we plan to reduce the impact we have on the environment and help support our staff and our communities in living healthier more sustainable lives. I would encourage everyone to look at what small changes they could do to have a big impact on our environment and our future.”
Another way we are working to improve air quality is by looking at the impact medication can have on the environment. The Portsmouth Asthma Network and Wessex Asthma Network’s severe asthma service have been collaborating on a project researching the impact commonly used inhalers can have on our air quality and how when medically appropriate, prescribing a different inhaler can reduce this.
One in five people in the UK have a respiratory condition such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and use an inhaler to prevent or relieve symptoms such difficulty breathing. While an important part of treatment for many patients, the impact the most used type of inhaler – the pump inhaler – can have on the environment is huge, so the research team are encouraging clinicians and patients to be more aware of the possible alternatives.
Laura Wiffen, Respiratory Research Fellow at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, said, “Most people would be surprised to learn that using a pump inhaler twice a day for nine months has the same impact on our carbon footprint as driving from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Taking their medicine for those who need it is of course essential, but we want people to be aware that there are alternatives such as powder inhalers which have less impact on the environment and could be suitable for many people currently using a pump inhaler.”
The powder inhalers are more commonly used in Europe, but in England they account for significantly fewer inhaler prescriptions. The Portsmouth Asthma Network have been working to update the Wessex Asthma Guidelines to help make clinicians more aware of the carbon footprint of inhalers and increase awareness when prescribing, as well as encouraging patients that during their next medication review to ask if a more environmentally friendly alternative is suitable for them.
Laura added, “We’ve seen an amazing response from patients who want to have these conversations and consider switching their inhaler device where this is appropriate. Unfortunately switching from a pump inhaler won’t be for everyone and its important anyone prescribed an inhaler continues to use it as prescribed.”
