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

Portsmouth’s innovative robotic surgery work spotlighted in prestigious Royal College of Surgeons Presidential visit

Date: 29 June 2022

Robotic work being shown at Queen Alexandra Hospital

Pioneering robotic and other innovative surgery carried out at Queen Alexandra Hospital was showcased at a visit yesterday (Tuesday 28 June) with the President of The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England).

Professor Neil Mortensen, President of The Royal College of Surgeons of England, met Portsmouth Hospital University NHS Trust’s top robotic surgeons and consultants. He took a tour around the Trust’s simulation centre and theatres and met executive team members from the Trust and Portsmouth University.

The visit was arranged by local surgeons Professor Peter Brennan, a Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon and a Council Member of RCS England, Mr Makis Laftsidis, a Consultant Transplant Surgeon and RCS England’s Regional Director (South Coast), and Professor Simon Toh, a Consultant Surgeon, and Director of the Surgical Simulation Centre.

Professor Jim Khan, a consultant surgeon at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) who specialises in robotic surgery, said: “We were delighted to welcome Professor Mortensen to Portsmouth. We have one of the largest programmes of robotic surgery in the country, having carried out over 3000 robotic procedures since we installed a Da Vinci robot at the hospital in 2013.

 “Surgeons from across the Trust also showed Professor Mortensen their pioneering work. This included robotic knee surgery, and head and neck cancer treatment using a flap of bone and muscle taken from the leg with microsurgery techniques to rebuild the jaw. The wider surgical teams and trainee doctors enjoyed the visit.”

Professor Neil Mortensen, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said at the visit: “I am honoured to visit Portsmouth’s Queen Alexandra Hospital and to see the innovative surgery that is taking place there. Robotic-assisted surgery is the future of surgery. It gives surgeons an opportunity to see very clearly and to carry out procedures with precision.  It also enables patients to recover from their operation quicker.  

 “Portsmouth Hospital and the University of Portsmouth are also about to start offering a postgraduate medical course. This is very exciting news and both organisations will play an essential role in helping to educate doctors and surgeons of the future.”

 Fact file

  • 80% of the emergency abdominal surgery carried out at Queen Alexandra (QA) Hospital is through keyholes compared with 11% nationally and more than any hospital in UK. This results in faster recovery and less scarring. 
  • The QA Hospital is one of a very few in the UK to carry out robotic cancer surgery - especially colorectal and oesophageal cancer surgery. The surgeons who lead this also run a Masterclass each year, mentoring many other hospitals.
  • The QA Hospital has the only robotic RCSE fellow in UGI surgery in the UK. 
  • The Trust has won lots of awards for its training, research and innovation. Professor Peter Brennan recently won the coveted Silver Scalpel Award for excellence in Surgical Training. The winner, chosen from across all 10 Surgical Specialties is selected by the NHS England Medical Director, Sir Stephen Powis
  • Professor Simon Toh has won three national Ingenuity Impact Awards for his innovation of a healthcare app developed to help save lives from deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
  • Another is the Sir Cecil Wakeley Prize, awarded for best paper published in the Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Journal 2021, won by Surgical Trainee, Louise Adler and Consultant Surgeon, Ben Knight.

   

 

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