Antrim Hospital had to remove 11 beds from wards to comply with fire safety regulations following a recent inspection.
The fire service found that the beds were “causing an obstruction to an escape route.”
A director told a meeting of the The Northern Health and Social Care Trust board that the fire service issued a direction after “additional beds were found to cause obstruction to an escape route which in the event of a fire could hinder evacuation and present risk to patient safety.”
Gillian Traub, director of operations, went on to say that the decision was made to cap the number of beds in a ward to meet legislative requirements “causing us some concern in terms of reduced capacity”.
Gerard McGivern, a non-executive director, told Thursday’s meeting that hospital services are “under extreme pressure”.
“It is good we are now compliant. We have to acknowledge and take responsibility. It will have an impact of services we provide,” he said.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “Following an inspection from the NI Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), the Trust has had to step down 11 additional beds in wards which were being used for the admission of lower acuity patients across Antrim Area Hospital.
“The use of additional beds is set out in the Trust’s Full Capacity Protocol as part of the risk management measures taken when the hospital is operating at full capacity. Due to continued ongoing pressures on the hospital’s Emergency Department, additional beds are regularly used to reduce overcrowding in the Emergency Department.
“We are continuing to explore measures to help alleviate pressures as part of our site management and risk assessment protocols.”