Hospitals Near Gosport
NHS hospital services and community healthcare
Gosport does not have a major acute hospital within the borough. The nearest full accident and emergency department is at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, which is run by Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust. Getting there from Gosport involves crossing the harbour, either by ferry and then bus or taxi from Portsmouth, or by road via the A32 through Fareham and then the M27. By car, the journey takes around 25 to 35 minutes depending on traffic, longer during rush hour when the A32 can be slow.
Queen Alexandra Hospital, commonly known as QA, is the main acute hospital for the area. It provides emergency care, surgery, maternity services, cancer treatment, and specialist departments. Gosport residents are within its catchment area for most hospital services. The hospital underwent a major PFI rebuild in the early 2000s. Parking at QA is expensive and often difficult, which is a regular frustration for visitors.
Gosport War Memorial Hospital on Bury Road in the town centre provides community-level healthcare services. It does not have an A&E department, but it offers outpatient clinics, a minor injuries unit, physiotherapy, imaging services, and some day-case procedures. The minor injuries unit can treat less serious conditions such as sprains, minor fractures, cuts, and minor burns, saving a trip to QA for non-emergency issues. It is worth checking the opening hours before attending, as the unit does not operate around the clock.
The War Memorial Hospital has had a complicated recent history. There have been periodic concerns about the future of services there, and some clinics have been moved or reorganised over the years. The hospital's role has shifted from inpatient care towards outpatient and community services. The Gosport Independent Panel report, published in 2018, examined the deaths of patients at the hospital in the 1990s and early 2000s, which remains a deeply sensitive subject in the town.
For maternity services, Gosport residents are served by QA's maternity unit. There is no midwife-led unit in Gosport itself, so expectant mothers need to travel to Cosham or, in some cases, to Southampton for specialist care.
Mental health services are provided by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust. Community mental health teams operate in the area, and the Orchards unit at Fareham Community Hospital provides some inpatient mental health beds.
GP surgeries across the borough handle the bulk of day-to-day healthcare and refer patients to QA or other hospitals as needed. The Gosport Medical Centre on Bury Road, the Stoke Road Surgery, and practices in Bridgemary, Lee-on-the-Solent, and Rowner are among the main GP practices.
NHS 111 is the appropriate first call for urgent but non-emergency health concerns, and can direct Gosport residents to the right service, whether that is the War Memorial Hospital's minor injuries unit, a pharmacy, or QA. The South Central Ambulance Service covers the borough for emergency 999 calls.