'We just need a bed': Baby with 'days to live' can't access lifesaving treatment

Macs is currently placed in an induced coma on a machine which pumps his heart for him while waiting for a bed to become available elsewhere

The parents of a three-month-old boy who they fear has just days to live say they're frustrated at being unable to access lifesaving treatment due to a lack of suitable hospital beds.

Dylan and Catrin Green, from Cardiff, said their "completely healthy baby" Macs started to struggle with his feeding, then caught a cold before later suffering two cardiac arrests.

He has been diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, external - a condition which can lead to heart failure - and now has a "matter of days" on a machine which pumps his heart for him, Dylan said.

He urgently needs a Berlin heart , external- a device used to take over the function of a child's own heart until a donor heart becomes available.

His family said Macs has been stuck at a specialist unit in Bristol for weeks, where his condition has since deteriorated and was now in an induced coma, as the beds he needs were not available.

The two specialist hospitals in the UK where the Berlin heart can be fitted are Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

Macs' parents says he has "days to live" unless he is able to access specialist lifesaving treatment

"Seeing him in hospital is so difficult for us," Catrin told BBC-produced Newyddion S4C, external.

"It's really frustrating knowing there is a treatment available which could save his life."

Macs' parents say he needs to be transferred to a specialist hospital for treatment but a bed is not available

She continued: "He could lead a full life with the Berlin heart. Although he would have to remain in hospital for an extended period, he would be able to learn to crawl... to walk.

She said they were "desperate for the hospitals to find a bed for him".

Figures from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) suggest fewer than five patients in Wales and England were currently using a Berlin heart - a device which can be used for several months prior to a transplant.

With only 2% of deceased organ donors in the UK being under 18, Macs' family was also eager to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation.

"It's not a nice subject to be discussing, but the more people who donate organs, they can help children like Macs lead a full and happy life," said Dylan.

"Seeing him in hospital is so difficult for us," says Macs' mum

The NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee (NWJCC) said it recognised the "difficult and stressful time this must be for Macs' parents, family and