STAFF shortages on wards at Colchester General Hospital have left workers “frustrated and exhausted,” it has been claimed.

An angry nurse today hit back after hospital chiefs told the Gazette earlier this week that they were coping well in spite of high winter demand.

She did not dispute that plenty of beds were available – but said the patients in them were at risk of neglect as so few people were looking after them.

Colchester Hospital University Foundation Trust denied safety had been jeopardised but conceded that unexpected absences due to illness had been causing problems.

The nurse, who asked not to be identified, said: “In recent weeks I have regularly arrived on my ward to find we are woefully understaffed – sometimes to the extent that staffing levels are down by 40 or 50 per cent.

“Staff on duty are then under extra pressure to do not just their work but also the work of their absent colleagues, but we can't always do this.

“This often leads to delays in meeting the basic needs of patients, which can be undignifying and upsetting for these patients.

“I am also concerned that all too frequently those patients who are most seriously ill are put at risk. Staff are feeling frustrated and exhausted.”

A trust spokesman said: “There is quite a lot of general sickness about in the general workforce.”

He added: “Each ward has a ward manager with a budget and responsibility for ensuring they staff the ward at sufficient levels.

“The last thing we want to do is endanger patient safety, and the managers have the means and resources to provide cover if necessary.”