Princess Margaret Hospital today revealed how it intends to tackle a crisis which has forced patients to sleep on hospital trolleys and on mattresses on the floor.
Its Winter Pressures Action Plan aims to free-up hospital beds in a bid to cope with a big rise in emergency admissions.
More beds are being made available in the hospital and 42 extra places at private nursing homes will be used over the winter period.
Staff are being offered flu jabs in an effort to reduce sickness, and more district nurses are being recruited to cope with the increased demand.
The steps were taken after the Evening Advertiser revealed earlier this week how patients were being forced to sleep on mattresses in corridors and in offices because there were no beds available on wards at PMH.
PMH operations director Lyn Hill Tout said: "A great deal of work has gone into this planning. As ever, our staff have also been working extremely hard to ensure that we continue to treat all the people who need our care."
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