Nurses caring for an 'exceptional' number of young patients opened an extra ward overnight to cope with bed shortages.

North Manchester General Hospital took the emergency measures on Tuesday night.

Hospital bosses say an 'exceptional number of children needed emergency care and hospital admission'.

One parent has told of 'crazy' scenes in the hospital's A&E department, with medics apparently unable to move children to wards elsewhere because of bed shortages.

The mum attended MNGH's children's A&E department with her daughter on Tuesday morning.

She said she was told her child needed to be kept in for 24 hours to be observed, but there were no children's ward beds in the entire North West.

She says medics told her they might have to be transferred to Birmingham, but after 13 hours waiting in an A&E cubicle, a make-shift ward was set up in the Koala assesment unit and five kids spent the night there.

A Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership spokesman said there were NHS beds available on Tuesday but could not say why the children at North Manchester were not moved into them.

The mum, who asked not to be named, said: "It was just crazy. In the waiting area there were people all over the floor waiting to be moved to a paediatric bed, but there was nowhere for them to go.

"You could hear the doctors getting frustrated because it seemed like everything was blocked.

"They kept popping into the cubicle saying we are ringing all over but can't find a bed. At about 8/9pm they said you might be getting sent to Birmingham because they are no beds anywhere in the North West.

"Eventually, at about 11.45pm, we ended up being moved to the Koala unit where they had set up a temporary ward.

"Obviously that wasn't ideal, but it was the best they could do."

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Simon Featherstone, director of nursing and chief officer at North Manchester General Hospital, said: "We would like to apologise to patients and their families who may have had a longer wait for treatment and care in our A&E over the last few days.

"The winter months are challenging for all hospitals which face additional demand on services.

"Our staff saw an exceptional number of children needing emergency care and hospital admission on Monday and Tuesday. Our priority is always the safety and welfare of our patients, particularly those who are critically ill or vulnerable.

"In line with escalation procedures, we admitted children to our observation and assessment unit (Koala Unit), which is used at times of high demand to ensure they are still kept separate to our adult patients and seen by our appropriate paediatric doctors and nurses in a safe area.

"While it would be inappropriate to comment on individual cases in the public domain, we will always make decisions that are in the best interests of patients to ensure they are safe. We are happy to meet or speak with the family to discuss their experience.”

Leaders of Manchester's devolved NHS organisation said hospital bed availability is monitored across the region.

In a statement GMHSCP said: “It is not the case that there were ‘no paediatric beds’ in Greater Manchester on Tuesday night, though all hospitals are currently dealing with a very busy period.

"This means there are times when hospital beds must be prioritised for those most at need.

"The number of available beds across Greater Manchester is constantly monitored, along with the number of people waiting for them and the number of people due to arrive at hospital by ambulance.

"This means beds can be allocated to those who need them most as quickly as possible."

Earlier this month the Independent reported how a shortage of beds for the country's sickest children has forced the NHS overhaul critical care services.

The reforms will reverse more than 20 years of centralisation that has seen smaller hospitals lose services, in a bid to prevent seriously ill kids being transferred hundreds of miles away.