Photo - Havant MP Alan Mak meets QA Hospital's Ursula Ward to discuss improvements
Havant MP Alan Mak has met with the head of Cosham’s Queen Alexandra Hospital, Ursula Ward, to press for further improvements in patient care and standards for local residents. Mr Mak’s intervention comes in the same week that saw Portsmouth City Council leader Cllr Donna Jones, along with other local MPs, lobby the government to push through drastic improvements at the hospital.
Mak pointed to issues such as delays to ambulance services and ‘bed-blocking’ in Accident and Emergency departments as the most pressing areas needing improvement. The QA Hospital has come under fire this week when it emerged that one local resident had to be transferred to hospital by Southsea firefighters after they had waited two hours for an ambulance that never came.
Ursula Ward, Chief Executive of the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, has recognised the calls for improvements, and told Mr Mak that everything possible was being done to ensure that local residents were being treated quickly and safely.
Following the meeting, Alan Mak said: “I was pleased for the chance to speak to Ursula and highlight the public concern with current standards at the Queen Alexandra Hospital. Issues such as delays to ambulance services and ‘bed-blocking’ need to be addressed quickly and I am confident that Ursula and her team are responding to them.”
The Havant MP added: “I will continue to work with the hospital, alongside other local MPs, to support the improvements being made to administrative practices and patient care. We cannot afford to short-change the health of our community, and I know the QA Hospital will keep working hard to provide a safe and punctual service to local residents.”
Ursula Ward, Chief Executive of Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We were delighted to welcome Havant MP Alan Mak to the Queen Alexandra Hospital today. The Trust continues to work hard to provide the highest-quality care and support to patients across South East Hampshire, including Havant.”
Ms Ward added: “The Trust is blessed with high quality facilities and cutting edge technology, and I was pleased to welcome Alan today so he could meet with our hard working staff and see for himself our patient centred care. We are constantly reviewing our practices and structures to ensure we are doing all we can to meet patient needs.”