A RADICAL solution for bed blocking would only worsen the crisis, York Liberal Democrats claimed today.

Plans to fine councils for each unnecessary day a patient spends in hospital have been raised by the Government.

Councillor Sue Galloway, social services spokeswoman for York Liberal Democrats, said that would only increase expense for City of York Council.

She said: "It is estimated that government fines for bed blocking will cost City of York Council half a million pounds, which is already badly needed by the council's social services department.

"What we need to deal with delayed discharges is real investment in the services that Labour has so systematically overburdened since they took office, not a convoluted buck-passing exercise that seeks only to cover the Government's back."

Bed-blocking sees elderly patients stuck in hospital beds because there are no nursing or residential home places available to move them to.

Latest figures showed there were 53 beds taken up by those blocking beds in York District Hospital.

City of York Council says it has lost 119 places in nursing and residential homes after closures in the past year.

The Government suggested fines as an incentive to find room for the patients. It would introduce additional funding to encourage setting up of new independent homes and relax National Care Standards on room sizes.

But it would charge social services £100 a day for every patient for which it is responsible, passing the money on to the hospital.

Coun Galloway said: "The simple fact is that the underlying cause of bed blocking in York is the chronic lack of facilities to deal with people once they leave hospital. The causes are a lack of government funding and the imposition of countless unreasonable demands and targets upon these services."

City of York Council has agreed to register opposition to the plans with the Government. Councillor Liz Edge, chairman of the scrutiny board for social services, said: "In York we have been aware of this problem for at least 12 months, and have worked in partnerships with the NHS and achieved good progress."

Updated: 09:33 Thursday, November 07, 2002