An investigation has been launched into the death of two patients in their 80s assessed as very sick by ambulance crews and both suspected of having suffered heart attacks Monday, but were left waiting in ambulances due to a shortage of beds which prevented them from getting into the Royal Oldham Hospital for seven and 20 minutes, respectively.

None of the five resuscitation beds at Royal Oldham ­Hospital were available, while A&E was so busy that except for the most urgent cases, all others were being sent to other hospitals, at the time.

A casualty doctor and senior nurse in the ambulances assessed and treated the two patients. Neither had actually suffered a heart attack by the time they were admitted, though both died at the hospital, later on. One of the patients died in the resuscitation unit the following day, while the other three days after being admitted to a ward.

The Regional Health Authority NHS North West ordered a probe after the incident was reported by the ambulance chiefs.

The deaths of the two elderly patients occurred barely two months after Pennine Acute Trust closed the A&E unit at ­nearby Rochdale Infirmary.

The Trust’s bosses denied the closure of the Rochdale Infirmary A&E unit had left Oldham over-stretched and unable to cope, however, the Patients Council admitted receiving warnings of significant overcrowding at the hospital which was ‘fit to burst’, including as much as six hour wait times for treatment reported by some patients.

A spokesman for NHS North West said they were working closely with Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust, North West Ambulance Service and NHS Oldham to understand the pressures Royal Oldham Hospital A&E might have been on the night of 16th May to see if any improvements could be made or actions taken.

Pennine Acute said it had not received any complaints from the families of the patients who died.