A shortage of beds for children in Whipps Cross University Hospital has had a ‘minimal impact’ on patient care, according to Barts Health Trust.

Earlier this year seven beds were removed from the Acorn Unit, the paediatric care ward at the Leytonstone hospital, leaving only 20.

Last week it was revealed that between May and July this year, 256 young people had waited in the accident and emergency department for over four hours, 23 had experienced delays because of the shortage of beds and nine were transferred to other hospitals.

However the trust in charge has said that standard of care was not affected and that a number of staff are being employed to address the issue.

A Barts Health NHS Trust spokesman said that 256 children who waited in A&E had suffered minor injuries.

He added: “It is widely acknowledged that there is a national shortage of paediatric nurses, making recruit to vacancies a particular challenge.

“In order to protect the safety of patients in our care and maintain staffing levels that comply with guidance issued by the Royal College of Nursing, we have needed to take these steps.

“We recently recruited four nurses for Acorn Ward, while a further intake of nurses will start in October to work across the trust’s three paediatric departments, including Whipps Cross. We will continue to monitor the situation and open beds as the staffing situation improves.

“The current measures have had a minimal impact on young patients who we provide care to.”

The Royal College of Nursing states there should be one nurse to every four children.