A hospital was forced to close its cardiac arrest unit and divert patients 25 miles away because it couldn't cope with sudden staff shortages.
The Lister Hospital in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, had to tell people to travel 40 minutes away on Saturday and Sunday after a number of team members call in sick.
Although the emergency primary percutaneous coronary intervention service resumed on Monday, the decision caused frustration, HertsLive report.
The PPCI emergency service operates 24/7 and treats patients who have had a suspected heart attack - but people had to go elsewhere last weekend.
The hospital responded and said that patient care was not compromised during its forced closure.
The Lister is a 566 general and acute bed district general hospital with a strong reputation.
It offers general and specialist hospital services for people across much of Hertfordshire and south Bedfordshire and provides a full range of medical and surgical specialties, according to the hospital website.
But one social media user claimed that urgent action is needed, targeting a post at Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Deputy Prime Minister, Thérèse Coffey and Welwyn Hatfield MP, Grant Shapps.
The tweet read: "Lister hospital Herts have closed the cardiac arrest ward due to lack of beds this weekend the nearest a heart attack patient can go is Harefield a 40 min drive. URGENT emergency action is needed. The QEII should never have closed!!"
The service was operational and back to normal as of Monday, October 17, official confirmed.
A spokesperson for East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust said normal service was resumed following the staff illness.
A statement read: “Over the weekend we had to temporarily divert our emergency primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) service due to sudden staff sickness.
"Patient care was not compromised during this short time and the service was operational as usual on Monday.”
