Queen Alexandra Hospital critical incident over "full" A&E

Portsmouth's Queen Alexandra Hospital declared a critical incident on Tuesday

A hospital declared a critical incident for the second time in six weeks, saying its emergency department was "full".

In a statement on Tuesday, Portsmouth's Queen Alexandra Hospital said the move was to "protect patient safety".

It apologised and said there would be delays for both patients arriving by ambulance and walking in.

A critical incident was also declared at the start of November when demand for the emergency department soared.

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust said anyone attending A&E who did not need to be treated there would be redirected to another service.

"We are seeing high numbers of unwell people through our Emergency Department and the hospital is full of patients needing our care.

"Our emergency services remain open and we will still be here for people who have life-threatening injuries and illnesses, but there will be long waits for other injuries and conditions."

It urged people to help ensure the emergency department was kept free for people needing life-saving care.

The trust said friends and relatives could help by taking patients home quickly from hospital to free up space and reduce delays.

Isle of Wight NHS Trust also declared a critical incident on Tuesday, saying wards and the emergency department were full.

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