Concern raised over Portsmouth's QA hospital
The Gosport MP has met with the Health Secretary
The Health Secretary is being urged to support Portsmouth's QA hospital as pressure continues to mount.
Bosses have declared a series of critical incidents in recent months as demand outstrips capacity.
Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has met with Health Secretary Victoria Atkins to discuss staffing, slow systems, long ambulance wait times and financial concerns.
NHS data indicates QA ambulance handover times are the sixth longest in England whilst Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust recently announced a planned deficit of £32.2 million for 2023/24, up from £9.1 million in 2022/23, and representing -4% of income.
Ms Dinenage also revealed that on 6 September 2023, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust was served with an enforcement notice for failures of financial governance, “declining productivity”, and “material under delivery” of efficiency plans.
As MP for Gosport, one of Caroline’s main priorities is improving patient care. In 2018, she helped to secure £58.3m of Government investment for the construction of a brand-new Emergency Department at QA that will upgrade facilities and increase overall capacity.
Commenting after the meeting, Caroline said:
“I would like to thank the Secretary of State for taking an active interest in the situation at Queen Alexandra Hospital. I believe that timely access to treatment should be available to all and therefore hope that we will see specific steps taken by the Government to support the QA Hospital and improve waiting times and patient outcomes for my constituents.”