A LACK of county nursing homes providing specialist care for elderly mental health sufferers has seen a third of psychiatric hospital beds for older patients being unnecessarily "blocked".

Now a massive £722,000 is being ploughed into nursing homes for county elderly mental health patients in a bid to slash bed-blocking at Worcestershire's psychiatric hospitals and eradicate the shortfall in care.

The cash injection will see contracts offered to the county's 27 residential care homes in a bid to find a "specialist provider" for elderly mental health sufferers.

The news comes as Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, which runs the county's six psychiatric hospitals, has revealed an average 36 per cent - or 92 - of its total 255 older adult inpatient beds were "blocked" last month.

Trust spokeswoman Marion Smith admitted: This is distressing for both patients and relatives, as patients who are fit to be discharged to a nursing home or residential home are delayed and have to remain in hospital.

It also has a knock-on effect in preventing the admission of elderly people who would benefit from an assessment in hospital."

Stephen Bishop, chief executive of Guide 2 Care, a St John's-based company that provides advice to county care homes, described the latest bed-blocking figures as "frightening".

He said there was a care homes crisis in Worcestershire, with more and more residential homes closing.

The problem is worse for elderly mentally-ill patients, he said.

Fewer homes are registered to look after them, and some are reluctant to because it can upset the apple cart.

If you have 20 residents who are fine and one with mental health problems it can create difficulties and be unsettling."

Carole Pugh, spokeswoman for Worcestershire Social Services, which has joined forces with the mental health trust, said the partnership is working hard to combat the problems.

The extra cash, which is also helping to fund extra beds, was already having an effect with the psychiatric hospitals averaging 24 per cent - or 61 - of its older patients beds blocked this month - a reduction of 30 beds compared to last month.

The aim of the joint initiative is to reduce the number of blocked beds by at least 50 per cent, she added.

We would like to hear from families of elderly people who have experienced problems finding care home places. Contact Emma Cullwick on 01905 742254 or e-mail: ec@thisisworcester.co.uk

Report reveals waiting times

ONE in five patients has to wait longer than six months to be admitted at two Worcestershire hospitals, a health watchdog report has revealed.

On Saturday, Worcestershire Hospitals NHS Trust was celebrating reports that the Sunday Times' Good Hospital Guide had given it the third best rating for mortality rates in the West Midlands.

But the full report published yesterday also showed that more than one in three patients is also waiting longer than 13 weeks to see a specialist at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, and the Alexandra, in Redditch.

The report, an independent audit of hospital standards across Britain and Ireland, criticised the "poor record" of the two hospitals' 13-week performance - ranking them as the seventh worst performing in the UK for outpatient waits.

However, the report highlighted patients' confidence in their doctors, putting Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Royal and the Alexandra, as well as Kidderminster Hospital, in the top 30 nationally in this category.

Eighty-eight per cent of patients surveyed also said they had been treated with respect and dignity "all of the time" as an outpatient.

The trust's chief executive John Rostill said everything was being done to improve waiting times, and extra nurses and doctors had been hired.

The trust hit all waiting list targets between last April and this March, and since last month the number of cancelled operations has been halved, he added.

Our food is of the highest possible standard bosses

BOSSES at Worcestershire Royal Hospital have reassured patients that meals are of the highest possible standard", following a damning TV documentary.

Channel 4's Dispatches programme on Thursday showed workers at Sodexho's hospital food factory throwing ingredients and coughing and sneezing while preparing food.

But although Sodexho supplies many PFI hospitals, it does not supply the Royal.

It is provided with meals by another company, called ISS Mediclean.

A hospital spokesman said: "People from our infection control team have visited the site where the food is prepared and they are satisfied the food coming into the hospital is of the highest possible standard."