ALL but the most urgent operations are being cancelled at Gwent's three acute hospitals, as massive increases in emergency admissions push facilities to bursting point, the Argus can reveal.

The Royal Gwent, Nevill Hall and Caerphilly District Miners hospitals are all struggling to cope with demand.

An indication of the problem faced by doctors and nurses is that by yesterday afternoon, the Royal Gwent had 12 patients waiting for beds - and that was a considerable improvement on the previous two days.

Today Assembly health minister Jane Hutt is visiting the Royal Gwent to see for herself how the NHS in Gwent is coping with the pressures of winter.

But as the cold snap continues, the stark message is that there are simply not enough beds available to meet the needs of Gwent patients.

Health bosses have had to apologise to patients scheduled for routine surgery this week because it has had to be postponed. Many emergency medical patients have had to endure lengthy trolley waits because there have been no spare beds.

One member of the Royal Gwent's frontline staff, who did not wish to be named, said she could not remember the beds situation being as bad as it is at the moment. "We are absolutely full, really stretched to the limit," she said.