Consultants said bed shortages meant they could only do only a third of the operations they were able to carry out in the 1960s.

Doctors at British Medical Association (BMA)’s annual meeting said patients were being harmed by cuts which have left Britain with far fewer beds than almost every country in Europe.

They called for an “urgent re-evaluation” of bed numbers, amid fears that plans to tackle a spiralling deficit could endanger patients further.

Dr Mary McCarthy, a GP from Shropshire, said hospital bed numbers had been “steadily eroded” without the corresponding increase in help to support people in their own homes.

She said: “The UK has less than 300 beds per 100,000 population and in Shropshire, where I am, it’s less than 200.”

Speaking to the conference in Belfast, she said: “In the Irish Republic a few miles south of here it’s about 500, in Belgium it’s over 650, in France it’s over 700, in Germany it’s over 800, in Austria it’s over 700, in Romania it’s over 600.

“Do we really need to keep cutting beds? Are we not finding that our hospitals are bulging at the seams with people who should be there but are discharged home too early and unsafely?” she asked fellow doctors.

Dr Michael Hardingham, an ear, nose and throat surgeon, from Cheltenham, said: “I have been working long enough to remember that working in the 1960s … I did at least twice as many cases in a day’s work – possibly three times – and this is largely due to difficulties with beds.”

‘Patients are being harmed because they are being sent home as there are no beds available’

Dr Michael Hardingham, an ear, nose and throat surgeon, from Cheltenham
“The recovery wards get blocked up because they can’t move people out into the hospital beds, and so patients who have been booked just have to be sent home,” he warned.

Doctors said children and families often had to travel long distances to find a paediatric bed, while hospitals were repeatedly diverting patients, after declaring a “black alert”.

“Patients are being harmed because they are being sent home as there are no beds available,” the doctor warned.

A motion calling for the dwindling numbers of beds to be “urgently re-evaluated” was passed with an overwhelming majority.

Dr Mark Porter, BMA Council chairman, suggested the NHS was taking too many risks in paring back bed numbers, with average bed occupancy now above safe levels.

“If average bed occupancy goes up above about 85 per cent there can be a rise in the risk of cross infection between patients, and it is less likely that an appropriate bed will be available for acute patients as they come in,” he said.

“While this policy might make sense if you are looking for short term cuts, it can have serious implications for quality and cost of care in the longer term. We need to carefully monitor the number of beds available and ensure that we are putting patients first when it comes to deciding how many beds are available in the NHS.”

NHS figures show the number of beds available each day has dropped from more than 144,000 in 2010/11 to less than 132,000 in 2014/15.

Earlier, Dr Porter said that claims being made by the Vote Leave camp were “farsical and fatuous.”

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association said: “At the very heart of the NHS is the ability to treat patients in a professional, caring and dignified manner. We can’t do this if we are unable to provide patients with hospital beds.

“Clearly there is an urgent need to address the funding issues that plague our NHS, as it is ultimately patients who end up suffering due to lack of proper investment,” she added.

Mike Adamson, British Red Cross chief executive said: “Increasing more beds alone will not help solve this problem. This country is facing a social care crisis. Without the proper care systems in place to return people home, thousands of patients will continue to be stuck in limbo.

“No one chooses to be stuck on a hospital bed when they could be in their own homes, rebuilding their lives. The Government has already set aside funds to be invested in health and social care. However, the bulk of this money won’t be available for another two years. These funds are needed now – to support people who are currently stranded in hospital due to the gap in care provision and to help prevent thousands from being admitted to hospital in the first place.”

A spokesperson for NHS England said: “It is important that patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time. The hospital is not a home and we know that, when given the choice, patients often prefer to receive care as close to their home as possible.

“It is for local NHS leaders to determine the best mix of care for the populations they serve – they will rightly consider community and home care as well as hospital beds.”