The hospital is suffering from a lack of intensive care unit beds

Patients needing operations are having to wait longer as there are not enough beds.

Several cancer and heart operations have had to be cancelled due to a lack of intensive care beds.

Dr David Beaumont, a surgeon for intensive care at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital, says whilst it is a crisis for patients, the Board of Health is looking at the situation.

"It is a problem the Board of Health, doctors, anaesthetists, surgeons and the Medical Specialists Group are aware of and are addressing.

"But for the people who have had operations cancelled it is a terrible thing," said Dr Beaumont.

We have to continue to improve matters, provide as many good services as we can, but at the same time provide additional support services - like intensive care - and build them up Dr David Beaumont, Princess Elizabeth Hospital surgeon

"They have had big operations that have had to be cancelled - some at the last minute - and for those patients it is a crisis."

Dr Beaumont said the reason for the shortage of intensive care beds was due to the extra work the hospital was doing.

"The island made a concerted decision to do more and more work here so that people didn't have to go away for treatment.

"The more expertise you bring to the island, the more complex work you do, and the greater likelihood that people will have to go into intensive care.

Additional support

"As soon as you do that you potentially create another problem, with facilities and staff, etc.

"We have to continue to improve matters, provide as many good services as we can, but at the same time provide additional support services - like intensive care - and build them up."

President of the Board of Health, Deputy Peter Roffey, has said that plans are in the pipeline for a �4m cash injection in the summer to help alleviate the problem.

But Dr Beaumont said there was no guarantee the problem would not arise again in the future.

Critical illnesses

"Like the National Health Service or any other health service in the world, we will have crises from time to time.

"We only have three intensive care unit beds and this recent problem was caused by two patients having critical illnesses that have required them to use those beds for a long period of time.

"We need to work out how many beds we really need for our population and the surgical services we provide.