A HEALTH service whistleblower has claimed lives are being put at risk in some hospital A&E departments in Northern Ireland due to limited access to oxygen in temporary beds.
The frontline worker told Radio Ulster's Stephen Nolan show that due to the severe pressures on services, patients were being treated in 'pop up' beds in the middle of wards, which did not have suction and oxygen points.
Antrim Area Hospital, Craigavon Area Hospital and hospitals in the Belfast trust were among those affected, the employee said.
He described some levels of care he witnessed as "war zone" medicine and claimed that one patient has sustained a significant brain injury because of lack of oxygen.
He said he would "feared for his loved ones" if they were to be placed in the temporary beds which have no buzzers at their bedside, which meant a patient could not ring for help and alert the "crash team" if they needed urgent assistance.
"We can't facilitate the right care because we're putting lives in danger with pop-up beds," he added.
In a joint statement from the Belfast, Northern and Southern trusts, they organisations stressed the " immense pressure" they are facing due to demand and high rates of Covid-19 infection.
"This is extremely challenging for our staff and patients," they said.
They added: "No patient is managed within the Emergency Department (ED) without triage, a management plan and access to escalated care should they require it.
"Patients who are critically ill will be prioritised for an inpatient bed and this means other patients will have to wait based on clinical need. Patients in ED who are waiting on an inpatient bed are assessed and continually reviewed by our nurses and the appropriate medical team."
