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.
Date: 26 January 2023
A new personalised scheme to help people leave hospital quickly and get settled at home is proving popular with patients ready to be discharged from Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
Patients who are ready to leave the hospital in Cosham but need extra support when they get home, can now use a Driving Miss Daisy service funded by Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust.
On-call drivers from the scheme pick up patients as soon as the ward discharges them, taking them home via an adapted vehicle for wheelchairs. The driver settles the patient at home, ensuring there are essential supplies such as hot drinks, food, medications and specialist equipment.
Since its launch in mid-October last year, the Driving Miss Daisy service has so far helped Queen Alexandra Hospital prevent over 34 delayed discharges - where a patient is ready in the evening, but no ambulance service is available - and 15 failed discharges - where a patient is sent home but has to be re-admitted back to the hospital, as the driver doesn’t think the home environment is safe or ready for the patient.
92 year old Alicia was admitted to Queen Alexandra Hospital on Boxing Day after suffering from flu. She was in hospital for over two weeks and after recovering was discharged home using the Driving Miss Daisy scheme.
Alicia, from Stubbington, says the service is essential for people like her: “My husband is at home but is deaf and unable to pick me up. This service helps me to not only get home but get me settled such as making me a hot drink and sorting out any food or medications. The people are lovely.”
The scheme is part of a number of initiatives the Trust is running to help free up beds in the busy hospital to ensure space for new admissions. Portsmouth Hospitals Charity has funded the Settling at Home project, a service provided by the Red Cross to help patients at home after discharge. The service transports patients from hospital and offers practical support to prevent re-admission such as shopping, welfare checks and support to re-build a person’s confidence.
Cathy Lake, Deputy Divisional Nurse Director at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, said: “We’ve found a huge benefit to working alongside Driving Miss Daisy. They have specially adapted vehicles, so the patients can go home in wheelchairs. Particularly now as the nights are darker and colder, it’s really reassuring for us as nurses to have our patients going home and know that the companion drivers will settle them in, make them a cup of tea and make sure they are well settled in before they are left.”
Melissa Mabbett, Senior Matron at the Trust, added: “We have seen a real benefit from using Driving Miss Daisy in the transportation of our patients to their homes or onward facilities. We can plan the journeys in advance and allocate timings to best suit the ward, the patient and the patients’ families. We even have the ability to call Driving Miss Daisy at very short notice to support an unexpected discharge, which is absolutely pivotal in maintaining flow and freeing up beds for incoming patients.
"The companion drivers have gone above and beyond to ensure our patients are returned home safely and swiftly with the least disruption, often staying to ensure they are settled in and comfortable. This is a truly personalised and fantastic service for our patients."
For more details on how to support patients to leave hospital when they are ready to be discharged, visit: Ready To Go (porthosp.nhs.uk)
