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: 04 November 2021
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) are excited to receive a third da Vinci surgical robot which arrived at Queen Alexandra hospital last month and is being used to perform the UK’s first robotic-assisted emergency surgery program.
Colin Ayres, 39 years old, began feeling unwell in September with what he thought was a stomach bug but surgeons uncovered an abscess and obstruction in his bowel. Now, he shares his experience of receiving life-saving emergency surgery using the da Vinci system.
Colin said: “I was a little apprehensive at first, but when the team came to speak to me and explained the plan, I felt confident and I’m so glad I did it, as this operation has saved my life. Alternatives to the robotic-assisted surgery would have seriously altered my quality of life afterwards, but now I have little to show for my adventure, with minimal scarring and am looking forward to returning to work next week. I’m overjoyed that QA has the robot and offered me this option for emergency surgery.”
Robotic-assisted surgery allows complicated procedures to be carried out through keyhole incisions using a hi-tech 3D camera and robotic technology that is extremely precise, benefiting patients with shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery times. Surgeons at PHU use the da Vinci surgical systems for hundreds of procedures a year and are one of the first hospitals in the UK to extend its use for emergency surgery.
Professor Jim Khan is a consultant surgeon at PHU who specialises in robotic surgery. He said: “I am thrilled that PHU will be exploring emergency robotic-assisted surgery for the first time. Twenty per cent of our colorectal cancer patients are admitted to QA in an emergency due to obstruction, bleeding, or perforation of the bowel. There are many survival and recovery benefits with the use of robotic surgery, so the arrival of the new robot means that more patients can quickly receive the treatment they need.”
Colin added: “The care and support I’ve received from beginning to end has been amazing. I trusted the team and the robot as the best option for me and the dedication from everyone involved has saved my life."
The da Vinci Xi Surgical System has been loaned to PHU by Intuitive to support PHU to provide robotic-assisted surgery to more patients.
David Marante, Regional Director of Intuitive UK and Ireland, said:
“We are dedicated to doing all we can to provide innovative solutions to the NHS to expand access so that more patients can benefit from da Vinci minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery, including those at PHU.
“The pandemic has highlighted that there is a need for a transformative approach to the NHS’s recovery, and the use of our da Vinci robotic-assisted surgical technology aims to improve outcomes for patients and lower the total cost of care in ways that have never been more pertinent.”
PHU are now able to offer emergency robotic-assisted surgery to patients with bowel blockages, complicated gallstone disease, and incarcerated hernias; patients benefit from emergency precision surgery by having fewer complications, quicker recovery periods and improved survival rates. Along with these life-saving benefits, the Trust will be able to train more surgeons, in several specialities which will lead to robotic surgery services becoming available to a larger cohort of patients.
