A HOSPITAL serving Droitwich Spa neared crisis point last week as it struggled to accommodate accident victims when large numbers of beds were taken up with non-urgent patients.

Droitwich MP Peter Luff said he was told that at the worst point there were 80 patients in Worcester Royal Infirmary and the Alexandra Hospital, in Redditch, who should have been cared for elsewhere.

Blaming underfunding of county social services and its "mismanage-ment," the MP for Mid-Worcestershire said nursing home places and community care beds needed to be found to free up the hospitals.

He said the hospitals were forced to improvise to find room for accident victims and said they narrowly averted disaster.

Mr Luff wrote a letter to the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Milburn, asking for crisis funding until the budget for next year takes effect.

He said: "This is an intolerable situation and one that could cost lives."

Worcestershire Health Authority chief executive Pat Archer-Jones admitted there had been recent difficulties.

She said: "There has been a significant rise in the level of accident and emergency admissions this week which placed a strain on our hospitals. This comes at a time when nine to ten per cent of our beds are occupied by patients who could be cared for more appropriately elsewhere."

Worcestershire portfolio holder for social services, health and well-being Peter Pinfield (Con, Droit.Town) accused Mr Luff of scaremongering about the difficulties health and social services faced.

He said: "We need care, not scare. Although the situation is difficult and numbers have increased we are meeting our agreed target of ten places a week and the health authority is meeting its targets also.

"There is no need to frighten or scare our elderly and vulnerable."