Eighteen patients were turned away from Kingston Hospital last year because of a shortage of intensive care or high dependency beds.

One patient was sent on a two-hour, 75-mile (121km) journey to a hospital in Canterbury.

The hospital has never had paediatric intensive care beds for children and follows guidelines by only transferring children to London hospitals.

A spokesman for Kingston Hospital said: "If we do not have an intensive care bed available, it is in the patient's best interests to be transferred to an appropriate intensive care unit at another hospital as quickly as possible."

The hospital said it had treated 97 per cent of patients who needed an intensive care bed - beating the target set by the president of the Intensive Care Society.

The 18 patients were among almost 700 patients who have been diverted or transferred in the last 12 months from London hospitals because of a shortage of beds. Former nurse Ann Blanche said: "They need more beds. They haven't got them. You can't predict usage. Of course it is dangerous to move somebody a long distance and take a longer time to get them into hospital but you can't disagree with the statement that it is in their interest to get them to one."

The number of coronary care beds has been reduced from four to two in the past five years, as the hospital believes this number is sufficient for demand.

During 2007/08, the hospital treated 543 patients in its 10 beds but was full on 111 days out of the year.

So far this year the hospital has not been forced to divert or move any patients from intensive care beds.