TRANSPLANT patients in Hampshire are being put at risk because of poor working relations between surgeons, according to a new report.

A study into Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust's Wessex regional renal and transplant unit by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) took place between August and December last year, but its publication today raises serious concerns about the facility.

The report of CHI's assessment, known as a clinical governance review, states that the majority of patients were happy with the treatment they received at the unit and that there were some examples of team work.

The facility is now the subject of an external review by the NHS south-east regional office after a study by the trust, prompted by several serious clinical incidents during the last 18 months, failed to improve working relations.

A social anthropologist was called in to assess relationships and culture in the unit after it was said working relations between staff were poor.

An area of concern was the emergency admission of older patients. Queen Alexandra Hospital includes wards that are managed by another trust. When these wards are full, care of older patients falls upon Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, which often means they are admitted not to designated wards but to wherever a bed is available in the hospital.

The report praised the trust for its Patient Advice Liaison Service and one-day Alert course which focuses on the anxieties and concerns of staff dealing with seriously ill patients.

Ursula Ward, director of nursing and midwifery for the trust, said: "There's not been anything that's come as a surprise and we already have fairly robust plans in place to take things forward."

Peter Home, CHI chief executive, said: "This report highlights very serious issues in the renal services at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, which need urgent attention."