Bed cash ‘not enough’

2:27pm Thursday 17th January 2002

SOCIAL services chiefs claim government funding to transfer elderly patients from hospitals into care is not enough to cover the high cost of nursing home places.

Last week, Kent County Council (KCC) received £4.5m from the government to deal with the problem of elderly patients taking up much-needed beds in hospitals - otherwise known as bed blocking.

It was the second lot of Government cash given to KCC this year to reduce bed-blocking. the council received £2.1m last November.

Labour MPs in north Kent have welcomed the extra cash, which was the sixth highest amount given to a council in Britain, saying it will free up beds at "hard-pressed" hospitals such as Darent Valley, in Dartford.

But Tory-run KCC claims the funding is not enough to cover the increasing cost of nursing homes places.

Council officers say "short-term handouts" do not solve the problem of long-term under-funding in KCC social services, which are £2m in the red.

KCC's strategic director of social services Peter Gilroy said: "More and more of our funding comes in special grants which leaves us in the dilemma when those grants are cut.

"Directors want stability in financial planning and to have that you need long-term funding."

Mr Gilroy went on: "The £2.1m we received in November for the remainder of this financial year has been allocated to paying higher prices to nursing homes so that we could move more people out of hospital and into homes. Obviously, we have to continue to pay the fees for those people, so the full-year cost to us next year is nearer £6m, and that is without any additional clients.

"In effect, this means we are already in deficit by £2m."

But Labour MPs in north Kent welcomed the extra cash, saying it would help Darent Valley.

Dartford MP Dr Howard Stoate said: "The £4.5m will give the council the funds it needs to set up extra home and community care packages for older patients and so free up a significant number of beds at hard-pressed hospitals in the county, such as Darent Valley."

And Chris Pond said the extra cash was "good news" because it would help "provide the help and care that older people need and deserve".

Editor's Choice