Power Cut Sparks Major Incident at Portsmouth Hospital
Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth was hit by a sudden power outage just after 7am today. The crisis forced an immediate major incident declaration and a temporary shutdown of the A&E department to new arrivals.
Power Restored, Crisis Downgraded
Thankfully, power was restored swiftly, allowing the hospital to reopen A&E doors. A spokesperson for Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust confirmed they have stepped down from major incident to an internal critical incident while investigations continue.
“Many IT systems are back up and running,” the spokesperson said. “Outpatient appointments should continue as normal unless told otherwise. A few procedures were cancelled this morning, but our teams are working hard to reschedule and carry on.”
They also warned of service delays as everything comes back online. “We ask for patience and understanding during this time,” they added.
Ongoing Service Disruptions
- Hospital phone lines are still patchy.
- Card readers in hospital car parks remain out of action; parking payments are suspended for the day.
- Visitors are encouraged to come as usual despite these hiccups.
During the outage, seriously ill patients were urged to dial NHS 111 or 999 instead of attending A&E. The Trust stressed the hospital remained safe and staff continued caring for patients already inside.
Back to Business — But Watch For Delays
The hospital has now returned to near-normal operations, though some services will face ongoing disruptions and cancellations today.
“Please keep attending your appointments unless you have been contacted directly,” the spokesperson advised. “We will share updates as investigations into the cause of the blackout progress.”
