Almost 80 people are waiting in hospitals in Northern Ireland for treatment of broken limbs because of a desperate shortage of beds, it was claimed last night.
Patients are being kept on painkillers as they wait for days for their bones to be set, according to a leading orthopaedic surgeon, Prof David Marsh.
Prof Marsh, a surgeon at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital, said the situation in the North's orthopaedic service had reached crisis point.
"Very decisive action is required in order to get us back on track," he said. "Most patients now have to wait three days for this kind of surgery and in some cases four to six days."