AN ANGRY widow told today how a nurse tripped over wires behind her husband's intensive care bed and unplugged a life-support machine.

Dorothy Lynch's husband Bill was not on life support at the time, but Mrs Lynch was so worried about what happened that she complained to York hospital managers and to the Health and safety Executive.

York trust chiefs today admitted wires and cables are a problem in the intensive care unit - and in ICUs throughout the country.

They insist patients are not at risk from power failures because ICU machinery has built-in safeguards to maintain life support if electrical supplies are interrupted.

But they admit loose cables are a risk to staff, who can trip up, as happened to a nurse as Mrs Lynch was visiting her husband Bill at York District Hospital.

A spokeswoman for the York trust said patients were not at risk and visitors were not supposed to go behind the beds so they could not trip up on them.

But Mrs Lynch insisted visitors, including herself, can get to the area behind the beds and equipment falling on patients did also put them at risk.

Mrs Lynch, 69, of Hawthorn Croft, Tadcaster, said wires were scattered about the floor behind patients' beds, causing a serious health and safety hazard.

Her 74-year old husband, who died of organ failure on October 4, was in ICU for 25 days.

Mrs Lynch said that on September 19 a nurse tripped over a cable and crashed to the floor. She was not seriously injured.

The stand for Mr Lynch's drips landed across his bed, said Mrs Lynch.

It was only a few minutes later that Mrs Lynch told the nurse that a plug had come away from the wall.

"The stand could have landed on his head and seriously hurt him and the nurse could have been much more badly injured.

"I can't fault the nursing staff, they work tirelessly, but it's dreadful that they should have to work in such conditions.

"I'd like to see those wires put up on the ceiling out of harm's way.

"The trust has acknowledged that it's a problem, but they should have done something about it a long time ago, the next time it happens, the patient, visitor, and the staff member might not be so lucky.

"I shall not stop fighting until something is done."

A spokeswoman for the trust said managers had considered suspending wiring above ICU beds, but had found this would cost £10,000 per bed.

A cheaper option would be to use Velcro loops to hold wires together and off the floor.

Simon Pleydell, chief executive of the trust, has written to Mrs Lynch and admitted that the loose wires were a problem even before the incident she witnessed.

"One solution would be the redesign of the units, but we know that this would ultimately cost £10,000 per bed and unfortunately this trust is not able to do this until the intensive care unit is upgraded."

He added: "We are also looking into other ways we can control the cables such as Velcro loops which hold the cables together and off the floor, and making sure that, as much as possible, they are under the bed or out of the way.

"It really is a difficult problem, but one that is being looked into."

Edna Mulhearn, health representative for UNISON at the hospital, said today that she would be taking the issue up with management.

Updated: 09:53 Tuesday, October 16, 2001