How Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth has changed to deal with the coronavirus outbreak - and which changes are staying

Mark Cubbon, chief executive at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, has said how grateful he is to his staff, health partners and the community for the support and flexibility as changes were made quickly to services at Queen Alexandra Hospital.

Queen Alexandra Hospital, run by PHT, has seen 229 people die with Covid-19 during the pandemic.

The hospital told The News that from last week there had been 567 Covid-19 patients in total and that 378 people had recovered and been discharged.

Mr Cubbon said: ‘Everyone across the organisation has responded incredibly well to this unprecedented situation. There is new information being made available, new evidence and we are having to adapt our organisation to the situation that we find ourselves in.

‘From the most senior people to the most junior people, in every function of the hospital, we could not have asked for more from the whole team. The speed with which we had to make really tough decisions was down to how flexible people have been and how dedicated they are to our patients.’

Within a week of the first announcements from the government around Covid-19, the hospital’s critical care unit doubled in size to cope with Covid-19 patients and areas isolated specifically for confirmed and suspected patients.

During the April, the hospital experienced a peak with 28 Covid-19 patients in critical care.

There are now around 20 patients currently in the ICU.

To respond to the pandemic, clinical staff from around the hospital were drafted into new departments and others upskilled to work in specific areas. Other staff helped to set up a new Family Liaison Officer service to help patients and their loved ones keep in contact while visiting is restricted.

Mr Cubbon said: ‘In the early part of the outbreak we had a sustained period with a high number of patients requiring admission, we needed to create zones in parts of the organisation that were likely to be Covid patients and not Covid.

‘We have had hundreds of staff redeployed in different departments and that ranges from clinical staff in different specialities and also clinical staff that work in part of the organisation that are not traditionally front line but have been drafted in to other wards.

‘We have had specialities where we have broadened out the skills they have so they can look after a different group of patients.

‘Our new Family Liaison service has looked at how we can provide a care for patients and families with dedicated roles supporting the communication between individuals at a time when we have restricted visiting.

‘We didn’t have these roles in place before and now we have put people in who have the right skills to do it.’

The hospital has also scaled up its use of technology and virtual appointments.

Mr Cubbon said: ‘We obviously want everyone who needs to come to hospital to come to hospital but for those that could have consultations or discussions about treatment done virtually either on a telephone or using a digital format we have been trying to put that in place.

‘Previously in some specialities we have had some virtual technologies but nothing like the scale we have introduced since the Covid period started. It minimises disruption and waiting times and saves patients having to come and park on the site.

‘An example of what it could be like was in our dermatology service and we had two patients in the same day who had been to see the GP who then sent a referral and picture to our service and by the afternoon they had had a consultation.’

With lockdown measures beginning to ease, the hospital boss is encouraging people to remain ‘sensible’.

Mr Cubbon said: ‘I am really grateful that our communities have been supportive of the changes we have put in place and the preparations in place if there is a second wave, and who knows if and when that could be, but we have to prepare for the eventuality that may happen but we know how the organisation can respond.

‘I think we have shown good compliance with lockdown measures. I know it has not been everyone but on the whole everyone has been good and I think that is reflected in reduction of transmission across our communities and I would ask people to continue to be sensible and follow the guidance that has been issued.’

Staff at the hospital have also been left overwhelmed by the support from the community, Portsmouth Football Club, The News and local businesses who have raised more than £42,0000 through The News’ QA Heroes Appeal, donated meals, baked goods and pamper packages. They have also been buoyed by the noisy support that rang out every Thursday for 10 weeks during Clap for Carers.

Mr Cubbon added: ‘Our staff all talk about the amount of support they have had from our community and I am always impressed with the amount of support our city gives our teams but this has gone to a whole other level.

‘I would like to say thank you to everyone as at a time when staff have been worried, they say the support have given them the boost they need.’

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