PRESSURE on hospital beds should be eased, thanks to an injection of Government cash - but the social services cutbacks, in the wake of a £4.6million overspend, are still hitting hard.

The Government has pumped £2million into the county and, since the beginning of the year, 80 places have been found in nursing or residential homes for elderly people in Worcestershire, easing pressure on hospital beds.

Five who were in Pershore Cottage Hospital and seven at Evesham Community Hospital have been transferred to care homes within the last few weeks.

Elderly people occupying hospital beds unnecessarily in Evesham and Pershore, however, were found places in care homes in Worcester.

Many nursing and residential homes in south Wychavon are full and have waiting lists.

The increased funding comes too late for one former care home owner, Janet Eason-Harris who was forced to close Woodlands care home in Longdon Hill last August.

She said the problem was lack of social services cash to fund nursing homes, and bureaucracy.

Meanwhile, the lack of funding for home care and domestic assistance for elderly people has prompted Jo Clarke, managing director of Someone Cares to write to Vale MP Peter Luff, Health Services Secretary Alan Milburn, and Worcestershire County Council spokesman for social services and health, Councillor Peter Pinfield. She said social services cutbacks were hitting the type of people helped by her business which provides care for the elderly in their own homes and carries out domestic chores and gardening.

Local authorities such as Worcestershire when her company was set up commissioned the bulk of its work, but that has been cut down to only a fifth.

Miss Clarke said: "A lot of people haven't got any money to pay for private agencies so if social services are cutting their care, where do people go? What are they to do?"

In her letter she said she had encountered an "endless amount" of problems with social services and described it as "appalling".

She wrote: "Social services are, as I am sure you are aware, in financial difficulty. Because of this, they are cutting all clients' care and, in many cases, cancelling care for vulnerable and elderly clients completely."

Mr Pinfield said: "We are currently only able to respond to clients considered to be at risk within five days.

"Agencies like Ms Clarke's are fully aware of our position and we would still like to work with the private and voluntary sector, but the reality of the budget crisis does mean tough choices have to be made.

"I would be happy to deal with any individual cases of hardship, however, if she would contact me."