THIS WEEK IN 2000: Patients left to face five-hour wait
Patients facing admission to Portsmouth hospitals were kept waiting for an average of five hours because they were so busy.
A bed shortage had also meant other patients had to wait for hours – some on trollies – in casualty at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham.
Both QA and St Mary’s Hospital, Milton, were on red alert because of a shortage of beds and staff.
The average wait was between four and six hours.
The longest waiting time was nine hours.