Queen Alexandra Hospital 'really busy' - so please choose carefully

Company news

Jun 16, 2015

Patients were today urged to help ease pressure on Portsmouth’s acute hospital by considering the best option for their health needs.

There is currently high demand for services at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham.

Alex Berry, Chief commissioning Officer for NHS Fareham and Gosport, Portsmouth, and South Eastern Hampshire clinical commissioning groups, said: “Please help the NHS to help you – by choosing the most appropriate services for your needs.

“There are a number of options to help you if you don’t feel well or sustain a minor injury, and we would ask you to consider these before simply turning up at the Emergency Department (ED).”

The following choices are available for people needing urgent – but not emergency – NHS care. They are: 

• NHS 111 – call if you need advice 24/7, or if you are unsure what to do regarding a health problem
• GPs – local GPs offer same-day ‘urgent’ appointments, and run clinics outside normal office hours
• Pharmacies – expert advice and medicines, in convenient locations. Most pharmacies now have private consultation areas
• Out-of-hours GP services – just because it is the evening or the weekend, doesn’t mean you can’t get a doctor. Call the NHS 111 number.

Alex Berry said: “We want to make the NHS 111 service the first choice for anyone who has a non-emergency health concern.

“It can mean avoiding a potentially long wait at the ED and offers you expert advice on the most appropriate course of action for your health needs.

“It also means that staff in the ED can concentrate on dealing with the most serious cases and those people who most need their care.

“People with a health concern can also often save themselves time and hassle by going to a local pharmacist, getting a same-day appointment with their GP, or heading to one of the minor injuries units at St Mary’s in Portsmouth, Gosport or Petersfield.”

There’s a useful guide to all of the urgent care options available by visiting the website of any of the three CCGs for the Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport, or South Eastern Hampshire areas.

Originally published by Portsmouth CCG.