Winter nursing shortage hit A&E

University Hospital Coventry had too few nursing staff on its accident and emergency ward on 15% of shifts during the winter, it has been revealed.

For 42 of 276 shifts over three months the number of nurses fell short of what the trust believed it required, a BBC Freedom of Information request found.

The BBC asked hospitals around the West Midlands for their staffing levels from November 2008 until January 2009.

The hospital said it was understaffed by four doctors during the same period.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust said this was after positions were backfilled by locum doctors.

It was recruiting six extra doctors by April 2010, a spokesperson added.