Bed blocking 'will be alleviated' by the creation of 100 new beds

The money - �3m of which is from East Sussex County Council and �1m from the government - is expected to reduce delayed discharges by 50%.

The council said its donation, which comes from a reserve fund, will ease the problem but will not solve it.

It said hospital referrals need to be reduced and intermediate care improved.

'Increase in delays'

Bed-blocking occurs when vulnerable elderly people cannot be discharged from hospital because of a shortage of beds available in care homes.

On Tuesday an East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust spokesman said 111 elderly patients were waiting to be discharged from the Conquest Hospital in Hastings and from the Eastbourne District General.

The spokesman said not all of the bed-blocked patients were waiting for council assistance.

The county council leader Peter Jones said: "We have decided to step in with this initiative because of our concern about the rising number of delayed discharges.

"This package is all the extra money we have available for bed blocking and while it will relieve the situation it does not solve the fundamental issue that too many people are entering hospital in the first place.

"Older people are our top priority and ultimately we need health to work with us so that older people throughout the county have access to a seamless health and social care service that helps them remain independent and active members of the community."