Winchester hospital staff praised after critical incident

As previously reported, on Thursday, November 23, a Range Rover crashed into the door to a power unit on the hospital site on Romsey Road, Winchester, just before 1pm. No injuries were reported, and the car was taken from the site after being safely removed from the building. A police spokesperson told the Chronicle that the incident is still under investigation.

The crash caused a loss of power at the hospital, which switched to backup generators, with some wards operating under emergency lighting, and the trust announcing a critical incident at approximately 4.18pm that day.

The crashed car (Image: Newsquest)READ MORE: Power fully restored at Royal Hampshire County Hospital

Andy Hyett, chief operating officer of Hampshire Hospitals, praised staff, saying: “Our staff did a fantastic job in helping manage the impacts of last Thursday’s power outage and we are also very grateful to the public for understanding the challenges faced by our Emergency Department, and helping by collecting relatives and friends who were ready for discharge.

“Staff worked extremely hard to carry out repairs to the power unit, enabling us to revert to mains power ahead of schedule on Sunday afternoon.

“Thankfully, no one was hurt in the accident. We are now carrying out a review of the Trust estate.”

Patients were asked to only attend the Emergency Department in cases of an emergency, while those who had appointments were told to attend as normal. The critical incident was downgraded on Friday, November 24, with power being fully restored to Royal Hampshire County Hospital on Sunday, November 26.

A spokesperson told the Chronicle at the time: “On Sunday at 12.45pm, following significant works, the mains power was restored, and the incident was stood down.

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The car was removed from the site a few hours later (Image: Newsquest)“We continue to monitor the hospital to make sure that everything is running as it should be.

“We would like to thank everyone from across Hampshire Hospitals who have supported in managing the incident whilst continuing to provide care, and our patients and the public for their understanding during this challenging time.

“Whilst power has been restored, pressure on our hospitals remain and we continue to ask people to only attend our Emergency Departments at Winchester and Basingstoke if it is an emergency.

“People can also continue to support by making sure that their loved ones can return home as soon as the decision has been made that they are ready to be discharged.”