A FORMER surgeon at York District Hospital has visited its wards as a patient - and says overcrowding there is the worst he has ever seen.

John Craven, a general surgeon at the hospital for nearly 20 years, was admitted to its orthopaedic ward ten days ago and witnessed at first hand the beds crisis the hospital has experienced since the beginning of 2002.

Mr Craven praised the "superb" clinical care he and other patients received.

But he said little routine surgery was being carried out and he was one of just six orthopaedic patients in a ward of 25 beds - the others were occupied by patients overspilling from packed elderly people's wards.

Last week, managers admitted that more than 70 routine operations were cancelled in the previous fortnight and more than 80 patients were on inappropriate wards.

Mr Craven insisted it was due not to winter pressures or a flu epidemic, but to year-round bed-blocking.

He said the problem contributed to the hospital's difficulties in bringing surgical waiting lists down to truly acceptable levels, like those in other European countries.

He blamed the Government for creating the bed-block bottlenecks in which elderly people get stuck on hospital wards for lack of nursing home space.

But he also aimed a damning broadside at local agencies which, he said, keep silent while the problem worsens.

Mr Craven, of Main Street, Nether Poppleton, said it was not the hospital's responsibility to provide nursing home care.

That fell to local authorities and private entrepreneurs - but council funds were being capped by central Government, and private nursing homes were closing because of higher costs created by an increased minimum wage and Government-imposed building improvements.

"This should be a matter of great concern to everyone in York," said Mr Craven.

"It has the potential to affect all of those anticipating long-stay care of their elderly relatives, all those awaiting a non-urgent surgical operation."

York Health Trust, City of York Council social services department and the city's new Primary Care Trust were all responsible for providing health care in York, said Mr Craven.

"I find their silence surprising and disquieting," he said. "The crisis now facing the hospital and the care of the elderly services is intertwined and accelerating.

"What are these agencies going to do about it?"

Dr Robert McEwan, directorate manager for surgical services at York District Hospital, said the latest figure for delayed discharges was 40.

"Undoubtedly, delayed discharges are a contributing factor to our shortage of beds. The lack of nursing home beds is causing a major problem for this hospital."

Bill Hodson, senior assistant director of strategic services at the council, admitted there was a problem with delayed discharges.

But it was not down to lack of money, following an injection of just over £300,000 from the Government, but because of lack of available care home beds.

"We are about 50 care home beds short. We need to get more capacity into the system. We are working with home owners to stabilise the market after a few closed last year."

Sue Ross, chief executive of Selby and York PCT, agreed the problem was that appropriate beds were not available.

She added: "The Government improvements to homes are welcome.

"The problem we face at the moment is the beds are not there in the system. We are working hard to reduce the numbers of delayed discharges and find long-term solutions where elderly people are able to stay in their own homes longer with the appropriate community care."

Updated: 10:37 Tuesday, January 22, 2002