NHS staff at QA Hospital praised by elderly patient after makeshift ward set up during critical incident

Marion Garrod, 85, was admitted to Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham, on December 21 with a flooded lung and it was expected that she would return home the next day.

After health complications, the 85-year-old did a 17-day stint in their care, and has commending their ‘excellent’ work after nurses clubbed together to create a makeshift ward for patients amid a critical incident.

Nurses began using the day patients recovery ward, turning it into a 16-bed ward for current patients who were being kept in. Marion said that the ward was bare and the nurses had to rally together to source equipment in order to make it a sufficient place for their patients and they worked hours on end.

She said: ‘They borrowed from other wards to benefit us. The nurses came from all over, giving their time and days off for us, and they fought for us.

SEE ALSO: Bedhampton woman reunited with late father's long-lost possessions after Southsea attic clear-out

‘I was the first in the ward and saw it from the start and I asked to stay for the rest of my time to see it progress.’

QA Hospital announced a critical incident on December 20 and then they declared another one on December 29 due to an influx in patients over the Christmas period. The hospital nearly reached maximum capacity, with 95.2 percent of beds being taken up.

A spokesperson for Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, said: ‘During the critical incident, our hospital has put into place a number of measures to protect patient safety due to an over full hospital and emergency department. This has included opening up additional beds on temporary wards, such as the one Mrs Garrod was admitted to. We are proud of our incredibly hard-working staff.’

Marion said that the first night she was in the hospital it was not as busy as she expected, but this quickly changed and nurses were rushed off of their feet, many of which were working hours on end just to make sure that wards had staff cover.

Marion added: ‘They coped with different types of patients even though they got sworn at and got abuse. The nurses had done an excellent job and everyone deserves a medal.

‘They were giving their own time up, they were still working their wards as well and it was excellent. I had the best treatment with that ward than any other.

‘People don’t know what was going on, I know they shut down A&E and the outpatients. It was absolutely manic up there but the girls especially the theatre girls – they were absolutely fantastic.

‘One sister did her shift and then she did 12 hours with us and everytime she tried to get anyway she had to wait for others to come in so she could leave.’

The 85-year-old, who lives in Gosport, believes that the doctors and nurses who helped her while she was there deserve recognition for the work they have been doing under increasing pressure.

Marion returned home on January 7, and said she is going to be taking up some goodies to the hospital in the next few days as a way of saying thank you.