We know how important it is for patients and families to be able to see visitors. Please help us keep our patients and staff as safe as possible by checking the guidance below before you visiting.
Read more on visiting times...
We recognise the impact that a long stay in hospital can have on families and the importance of maintaining strong communication. Our ward staff are keeping in touch with patients’ next of kin directly and our Voluntary Services team can help pass on personal messages from family and friends.
After suspending visiting earlier in the year, we are now able to offer limited visiting to some wards at the discretion of the nurse in-charge.”
Read more on visiting times...
We recognise the impact that a long stay in hospital can have on families and the importance of maintaining strong communication. Our ward staff are keeping in touch with patients’ next of kin directly and our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can help pass on personal messages from family and friends.
The Queen Alexandra Hospital is located just on the hill slopes of Portsdown Hill overlooking Portsmouth. It is conveniently situated for both the M27 and A3M.
Family members and carers play an important role in supporting patients during an episode of ill health. We are committed to the active involvement of family members, friends and carers during a hospital stay. Family members and carers play an important role in supporting patients during an episode of ill health.
More information on visiting hospital for an appointment.
If you've had experience of using our services and would like to make a comment then please contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). Your views are very important to us and we would like to hear where you think improvements are needed or where things have gone so well that you would like to share your thanks or gratitude with the staff involved. When things have not gone so well then you can be sure that we want to hear from you, so please get in touch with PALS.
Our Strategy – Working Together, Improving Together
Our strategy sets out our vision, values, strategic aims and most importantly, how we will deliver against these ambitions for our patients, communities, and people in the future.
It is not just a document, it is for and about everyone at PHU, building on what we have achieved with a renewed focus on continuous improvement and the need to continue to work together and improve together to achieve our goals.
A full copy of the strategy can be downloaded here.
For more information, please visit our strategy webpage.
There are lots of opportunities for you to get involved with the Trust, from volunteering to attending our public meetings, our Annual General Meeting or our hospital open day which is held every year.
We welcome and value your feedback and use the views you share with us in a number of ways to learn and make improvements as well as sharing best practice. Feedback can be provided in a number of ways.
Last updated: 26 April 2022
It is our ambition that every member of staff takes responsibility for the success of the Trust in delivering continuously improving, high quality, compassionate care to our patients in the communities we serve.
We are delivering a three-year culture change programme based on this model of Collective Leadership. The programme is structured in three phases: Discovery, Design and Deliver and was formally launched in March 2018:
We have recruited “Change Agents” to help us deliver each phase of the programme. The Change Team are our ambassadors and champions for the culture and leadership work, reporting directly in to the Board. They are recruited from across all grades and roles and are offered a series of personal development opportunities to support them.
The discovery phase was led by 15 Change Agents. The team gathered and examined key data and intelligence to identify gaps between what we have now and what we need in order to ensure we deliver high quality, continuously improving and compassionate care.
The team looked at staff surveys, patient feedback, complaints and audits, held focus groups and interviewed Board members to understand what it is like to work at the Trust. They also looked at best practice in other organisations to learn and help shape 26 recommendations, which include the following:
The second cohort of Change Agents were recruited led the design phase of the programme. They considered all 26 recommendations from phase one, identifying which ones best supported delivery of our strategic priorities and key workstreams.
The team reviewed 890 pieces of data and talked to 329 staff about their findings, also testing some of their ideas for improvement.
The third phase of our Culture Change Programme launched in November 2019 and will run for 18 months.
A new team of Change Agents will be working with staff across the Trust to deliver the proposals agreed during the design phase, supporting the delivery of continuously improving, high quality and compassionate care.
During Phase 2, our Change Agents, using a variety of engagement methods identified that there was variability in relation to the understanding and visibility of recognition schemes. Although these recognition schemes are highly valued by most, for some they are not visible enough or accessible and do not represent the diverse workforce employed across the organisation. Additionally, staff reported difficulty in accessing the corporate led schemes such as Employee of the Month.
As we are now in Phase 3, a full review of our recognition schemes is taking place to ensure the process, communication and award is representative of what staff want to see and is accessible to all. The three schemes that are being reviewed are:
Please click here to complete a short survey.
As well as the survey, Change Agents will be out and about with trolley dashes and feedback postcards throughout January. You can also email change.agents.mailbox@porthosp.nhs.uk
Physiotherapist Ellie Bryan was a Change Agent for phase two of the Culture Change Programme.
Ellie says: “I applied to be a Change Agent as I wanted to try and make the environment more positive for everyone. The Change Agent role allowed me to engage with people from a variety of different departments and bandings.”
Ellie says that throughout the programme she was fully supported by the Organisational Development Team and the Trust Board and implemented her idea of “thank you” cards for staff to give to each other: “The thank you cards have been really well received by staff and is a great way to show compassion to one another and really live the Trust values,” adds Ellie. “Overall, the Change Agent experience has challenged my creativity and organisational skills but has been valuable in building my confidence and for my personal and professional development.”
Nigel Staff is part of our IT Team. He has been a Change Agent in both phase one and phase two of the programme and says he has been very lucky to be involved. He explains: “I have been involved in change programmes in the past and I have found the approach, support and personal development during this programme to be the best that I have experienced.”
Nigel’s role as a Change Agent means he has worked alongside a wide range of colleagues who share a passion and interest in continually improving the culture of the Trust to benefit both patients and staff. Nigel adds: “Since the start of this programme, the Change Agents have been fully supported by our Trust Board. This is evidenced by their continued personal involvement and willingness to take on‑board and take forward the feedback and recommendations that we delivered.
“If you are an independent thinker who has the interest and belief to support the Trust, patients and colleagues, then I strongly recommend that you find out more about this programme and consider applying for the third phase of the programme, the “deliver” phase.”
Emily Wainwright, Personal Assistant to Dr John Knighton, Medical Director, has been recruited as a Change Agent for phase three of the Culture Change Programme.
Phase three is the implementation stage where the proposed actions from phase two are delivered by the 18 Change Agents.
Emily has been a part of the Trust for seven years, beginning her career as an Apprentice in Surgery and Cancer before going to work for the South Eastern Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Groups: “I missed working in the hospital, I liked having that connection with the patients,” Emily said. “That’s when I decided to come back to the Trust after three years and take up the role of Personal Assistant to the Medical Director.”
After many years of working at PHT, Emily has been given many opportunities to grow herself and wanted to be a part of something that allowed her to develop further. “I am eager to continue to drive myself and am passionate about being part of this change programme,” Emily added. “I am proud to be a part of PHT and believe this is an exciting time with lots of opportunities within the hospital for positive change and improvement. I believe that the engagement and the involvement of staff at all levels are essential and I am really keen to break down any barriers that are identified between staff and leadership as part of the cultural change work undertaken.”