Patients wants CQC report to be turning point for QA Hospital

Harry Cullen has visited the A&E department of the hospital, in Cosham, twice and both times was told the wait was more than three hours.

He is now saying the hospital needs to ‘buck itsself up’ if it wants to improve.

The 68-year-old’s comments come days after the emergency department of QA was rated as inadequate by the Care Quality Commission.

The health regulator said patients were being put at unnecessary risk.

As previously reported in The News Mr Cullen, from Waterlooville, visited the hospital in March at 10.10pm. He was told he would not be seen until 5.30am and he should go home.

He said: ‘The hospital needs to buck its ideas up and I hope the CQC report will get it to do this.

‘I hope this is a turning point for it so other people do not experience what I have on two occasions.

‘But I am not sure it is. I know things cannot change overnight but when I went there Thursday night, I was still waiting more than three hours to see a doctor.

‘I will not believe in the changes they want to make until things improve.’

Four changes have already been made at QA as part of an urgent care improvement programme.

It is hoped the changes will see the A&E department improve.

They including appointing someone to watch over the emergency department, assessing elderly patients when they first arrive at A&E and having a short-stay ward for patients expected to be in hospital for less than 72 hours.

The interim chief executive Tim Powell told The News that he wants QA to be a hospital the people of Portsmouth can be proud of.He also said he was feeling optimistic about the future with ‘a robust plan in place’.

Mr Cullen added: ‘The changes they have introduced seem to be along the right lines and I hope that they do make a difference.

‘No-one wants to see the hospital in the state that it is.

‘The problem is a lack of facilities elsewhere in this area. With only one A&E serving such a big area, delays are expected.

‘They should never have closed Haslar hospital.’

Royal Hospital Haslar, in Gosport, was closed in 2009 despite campaigns to keep it open.

Mr Cullen said the hospital could have helped relieve pressure on QA, which on occasions has had to divert ambulances from South Central Ambulance Service to Southampton or Chichester when A&E is busy.

Fareham MP Suella Fernandes is also campaigning for Fareham Community Hospital to have a walk-in centre to help with attendance figures at QA.

She said: ‘It’s in a good location and provides a fantastic opportunity to provide more services to the Fareham community and to Portsmouth. The site should be utilised.’