Blazing weather sees record number of patients go to A&E

Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham saw 401 people at A&E on Sunday as the temperature reached 25.8C, in a recording taken in Gosport.

Mark Cubbon, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive, praised his staff for their hard work during the busy weekend.

The trust usually expects 320 patients to attend at QA's emergency department.

Posting on Twitter he said: '˜Thanks to all staff who were working on the QA site yesterday while responding to a record number of attendances to our ED [emergency department].'

Mr Cubbon, a former nurse, also shared a message from a charge nurse who said there were '˜record attendances' at the minor injury unit at Gosport War Memorial Hospital on Sunday.

It comes as the Met Office put in place a level three heatwave action alert '“ the second highest that can be issued. It will remain in place until Friday morning. 

The Met Office is warning that there is a 90 per cent probability of heatwave conditions across Portsmouth and Hampshire over the coming days. 

Temperatures are due to peak on Wednesday at 26C, before cooling down to 22C over the weekend.

Some of the attendances at A&E were linked to alcohol consumption.

Elderly people can also suffer dehydration in the heat.

Such has been the length and intensity of the heatwave, the grass on Southsea Common has dried up.

In a statement issued yesterday, Paul Bytheway, PHT chief operating officer said: '˜Our emergency department has been extremely busy over the past 24 hours and we expect demand to continue to be high with more hot weather predicted for the rest of this week.

'˜People who are at particular risk in the hot weather are those with a pre-existing medical condition such as asthma or heart disease, babies and young children, and those over the age of 75.

'˜Please take precautions by staying out of the heat where possible, closing curtains and blinds to keep rooms cool.'

He said people should call 111 in the first instance for advice if they feel unwell.