Queen Alexandra Hospital stands down critical incident

Portsmouth's Queen Alexandra Hospital declared the critical incident on 13 December

A hospital has stood down a critical incident which was put in place after its emergency department became "full".

Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth declared the incident on 13 December to "protect patient safety".

It meant anyone attending A&E who did not need to be treated there was redirected to another service.

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) said it was still "incredibly busy" but was working hard to get loved ones home for Christmas.

It was the second time in six weeks that a critical incident had been declared - the hospital also faced difficulty at the start of November when demand for the emergency department soared.

In a statement, PHU said: "We are able to do this because of the hard work of our colleagues and partners.

"Whilst this is a positive step, our hospital is still incredibly busy and we are seeing a lot of patients coming to our Emergency Department," it added.

To support the flow of patients through the hospital, people are being asked to collect relatives as quickly as possible after their discharge.

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