SERIOUSLY-ill patients are being shunted to hospitals more than 30 miles from Worcester because there are no spare beds left in the county.

One GP has told Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff that patients were going as far Cheltenham because there was no space at Worcester, Redditch, Hereford, Gloucester and Solihull hospitals.

The only free beds were in Kidderminster - but they have been shut, pending the opening of the new Worcester hospital next year.

Now Mr Luff is warning of an unprecedented beds crisis across Worcestershire once winter sets in.

"The problem facing hospitals for miles around is huge, and there's little that can be done to prevent a severe crisis this winter if the problem's at this level already," he said.

"No blame should be attached to the health authority or NHS Trusts as it is not their fault - it's a situation which is entirely out of their control."

The crisis is partly blamed on elderly patients taking up hospital beds while waiting for residential care.

The problem could worsen with two county nursing homes due to close their doors, leaving as many as 40 patients with no roof over their heads.

"This seems the worst situation we've had for a number of years, and it doesn't bode well," said Dr Simon Parkinson, secretary of the Worcestershire Local Medical Committee.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said that, along with many trusts south of Birmingham, it had experienced "unprecedented levels of emergency activity" over the past week, which was worsened by emergency operations.

"A considerable number of patients were seen, diagnosed and treated in A&E at Worcester and Redditch. We've endeavoured to treat all Worcestershire patients within the county," said trust spokesman Janet-Marie Clark.

"The NHS often experiences peaks in the number of patients requiring emergency inpatient care, and every effort's made to treat everyone to the highest possible standard.

"We'd like to thank our staff for their tremendous hard work during a very difficult period."

A representative from Solihull Hospital confirmed it had experienced problems with so-called bed-blocking in the past, but could not comment on this particular case. Other NHS trusts were unavailable for comment.

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