A junior doctor was left in charge of 300 patients overnight

The incident, which happened earlier this year, has been the subject of high-level correspondence between Belfast City Hospital and the Department of Health.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Henrietta Campbell has described the incident as "appalling".

The junior doctor had been left in charge of the patients, who were located in two different parts of the building.

New European legislation has stopped junior doctors in hospitals from working long hours, as has happened in the past.

This has meant hospitals have found it difficult to recruit enough doctors to safely cover patients.

More doctors are being trained, but not enough to meet demand.

The City Hospital's medical director Dr Ken Fullerton said in a letter to the Department: "We are concerned that junior doctors covering such large clinical areas will be unable to provide a safe service to all of their patients."

In response, the Department of Health offered funding for 14 extra junior doctors

Dr Campbell said she was "hopeful" that the funding would alleviate some of the problems.

"There is no doubt that the rationalisation of services and the modernisation of how we deliver services is the key to solving this issue," she added.

BBC NI Health Correspondent Dot Kirby says the funding is good news for City Hospital but bad news for other hospitals, which could have even more trouble recruiting enough junior doctors to go around.