Kidney transplants cancellation 'devastates' charities

Charities in Northern Ireland have said they are "devastated" after several life-saving kidney transplants within the Belfast Health Trust area could not go ahead at the weekend.

The trust was offered healthy kidneys from deceased donors.

But they were turned down as the operations could not be carried out without sufficient staff.

The trust has apologised and blamed the staff shortage on a rise in the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals.

Susan Kee, the chair of the Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund, said she was "completely devastated" that some kidney transplants could not go ahead within the Belfast Health Trust area at the weekend.