THE bed-blocking crisis at York District Hospital has deepened, with 60 patients now well enough to be discharged but with nowhere to go.

The surge in numbers comes at a time of year when the problem might normally be expected to ease.

However, health and social services bosses are guardedly optimistic that they can stem or reverse the trend over coming months through a series of new measures. The recent difficulties are being blamed on the closure of four private homes in York since last October.

The loss of York Rise, St Olaves, Blair Atholl and Burton Croft homes has meant the total disappearance of 110 beds.

City of York Council said that while it had managed to re-locate residents of such homes, additional pressures were arising in the system through the arrival of extra elderly patients at the hospital. A spokeswoman said that of the 60 bed-blockers, 49 were from the York council area and the rest from North and East Yorkshire.

Bill Hodson, senior assistant director of community services, said he was hopeful that the spate of home closures was coming to an end, although he could never be certain any individual home owner would not decide to close. "We need some stability," he said.

He said the authority had built up closer relations with 30 York care homes through an independent care group which they had formed. An agreement had been reached over a minimum fee of £390 per week for new residents.

The situation might also be helped by indications from the Government that there would be less rigorous enforcement of expensive improvements to homes which were already of a good standard.

Susan Acott, of York NHS Health Trust, said York was receiving external Government assistance towards new initiatives to help tackle the problem, such as the provision of extra nursing assistance to enable more elderly people to return to their homes.

She said she was disappointed by the rise after numbers had been brought down in the spring through a great deal of hard work. The latest figures come after a powerful committee of MPs voiced concerns about plans to "fine" North Yorkshire social services departments which fail to cure bed blocking.

Earlier this year, Health Secretary Alan Milburn said councils would be given a bill of up to £225 each day an elderly patient spends in hospital

"unnecessarily".

But the House of Commons Health Select Committee warned Mr Milburn against pressing ahead with the proposal too quickly, saying it risked reinforcing a "negative blame culture".

Updated: 11:37 Friday, July 26, 2002