HOSPITAL patients in York concerned about bed shortages have been given a clear message by the head of the city's NHS Trust - the bed shortfall will be overcome and patients will not suffer.

Simon Pleydell, chief executive of York Health Services NHS Trust, said he had long known about the estimated 100-bed shortage of acute and intermediate care beds, and had been working on a plan to solve the problem.

He said that over the next few years at least 90 beds must be provided in order for staff to meet the Government's improved waiting list targets, which include carrying out elective surgeries within six months and outpatient appointments within three months.

The capacity problems, while not yet at a critical stage, are having an effect now at York District Hospital (YDH), where elective surgeries can be cancelled and patients are sometimes cared for on a ward not ideally suited to their needs. Hospitals in Selby and Easingwold are also below target.

Mr Pleydell said: "Optimally we need to be 85 per cent full on an average basis throughout the year, and at the moment we are 95 to 100 per cent full as much as five days a week.

"That means we can't respond to surges in emergency admissions. "We weren't surprised when the bed review came out saying we didn't have enough beds, and that exercise did not take into account the level of delayed discharges that we have that puts even greater pressure on. We have 56 this week.

"We have coped, but it's not an ideal situation, and we would cope better if we were helped with the delayed discharges position.

"What is absolutely clear is that we are delivering elective care targets and nobody requiring emergency admission has been turned away."

Mr Pleydell said the redevelopment of York District Hospital would create 20 beds over the next three years, and there were talks with Nuffield about greater access to the private hospital in the city.

Selby and York Primary Care Trust has been given £1.4 million to create 20 to 30 intermediate care beds, and there are ongoing discussions with Selby War Memorial Hospital about increasing access there.

Increasing home care and improving surgical recovery times were also under discussion.

Mr Pleydell said: "We all agree that waiting is something we have to deal with. What I hope this tells people is that we are anticipating where we need to be in a few years' time and we are doing something about it now.

"Hopefully, we can then deliver the targets and we will have some more room to manoeuvre in terms of bed availability."

Updated: 11:55 Thursday, September 19, 2002