Dozens of A & Es to shut

HOSPITALS could be forced to close dozens of A&E departments because of a massive shortage of doctors.

Hundreds of medics have already fled emergency rooms because of poor pay and conditions.

And that's left the struggling NHS with just HALF the number of experienced docs it needs.

The shortage has prompted fears that lives will be at risk. And patients with non-life-threatening conditions could have to wait even longer to be seen.

Dr Andrew Thornley, of the British Medical Association, said: "If units are forced to close that will mean longer journey times to the Casualty units that are open, And delays can cost lives."

There are just 800 experienced A&E docs in the UK - half the number needed. Many are being lured away because they can double their £44,000 salary by becoming a GP or consultant.

On top of that, the government's controversial reorganisation of junior doctor training has stopped foreign medics filling A&E posts.

And the situation is set to worsen next month when a Brussels ruling limits medics to 48-hour working weeks. The crisis has forced many hospitals to hire experienced locums at £1,000 a shift - four times what a full-time A&E consultant would earn.

Some emergency departments can only open from 8am to 6pm while others face the axe because it is unsafe to staff them with junior docs.

Donald MacKechnie, vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: "We might have to close casualty units. To get 24-hour departments we need to double the number of consultants."

Dr Thornley added: "The government has to take responsibility if units close due to a shortage of doctors."

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