NURSE shortages are making a 1,000-bed hospital trust "perilously close to unsafe", according to a union official.

Ian Daley, a full-time regional officer with the Unison health trade union, said his members were "very, very concerned" at the situation at the County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

A policy of not replacing non-essential staff and a recruitment freeze has had a damaging impact on the level of care for patients, said Mr Daley.

"The trust has an agenda to get rid of 700 jobs and because of this situation the staff-patient ratio is being affected," he added.

"Our members have told us that beds are being closed because of shortages of nurses.

"Because of cutbacks they can't get on the phone and bring in agency nurses. Our people are telling us they are really stretched," said Mr Daley. "What we are finding is that the trust is getting perilously close to being unsafe," he added.

However, trust officials insist that the reduction in staffing levels is being managed in such a way that patient safety is not put at risk.

Five months ago the trust - which runs Darlington Memorial Hospital, Bishop Auckland General Hospital and the University Hospital of North Durham - announced that it was looking to shed up to 700 jobs over the next three years and save £40m.

According to estimates by the trust's officials this could include losing 226 qualified nurse and midwife posts as well as 132 unqualified nursing and midwifery assistants.

While the trust has said it hopes that the job losses can be managed through "natural wastage" it has introduced a freeze on hiring staff, new controls on agency nurse spending, overtime restrictions and review of all non-essential expenditure.

A trust spokesman said: "We have safe levels of staffing in our wards and other clinical departments, and use bank and agency staff where appropriate to cover unforeseen absences. Patient safety is our priority when we are considering staffing levels. While the trust is planning to reduce the number of posts it has by 700 over the next three years, this will not compromise patient care."