Nurses staffing crisis leaves 1,500 beds empty in 82 'ghost wards' across the UK

Doctors’ leaders have reacted angrily to the news that beds ar being mothballed as a result of trusts don't have the funds or employees to stay them open

Hospitals are forced to shut wards hosting virtually one,500 beds as a result of they might not workers them.

Despite dangerous bed shortages across the NHS new knowledge shows there have been eighty two “ghost wards” at the last count, a pointy rise on thirty two wards four years earlier.

Doctors’ leaders have reacted angrily to the news that beds square measure being mothballed as a result of trusts don't have the funds or workers to stay them open.

Dr Nick Scriven, the president of the Society for Acute medication, said: “Given the pressures on the entire system, that recommend the NHS is five,000 beds in need of what it required this winter, [this situation] is wonderful and is sort of continually caused by not having enough cash or workers.”

It showed there have been one,429 empty beds at the last count in Gregorian calendar month, compared to 502 beds four years earlier.

Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “We’ve simply had doctors warning that the ‘winter crisis’ is probably going to stretch into the summer and currently our analysis reveals the extent to that beds that would be wont to look after sick patients are barred away.

“Given Tory ministers have allowed fourteen,500 beds to be cut from the NHS within the past eight years, to currently learn that wards and beds are left empty and unused could be a scandal.”