MP ANNE McIntosh waved a copy of the Evening Press at Tony Blair as she confronted him over the bed-blocking crisis in North Yorkshire.

The Vale of York MP challenged him during Prime Minister's questions in the Commons last night.

Ms McIntosh quoted a story from earlier this month which revealed health experts in the county did not blame a shortage of cash for incidents of delayed discharge from hospital.

Instead, they blamed a shortage of care home places, the MP said.

She asked: "Does the Prime Minister agree with York District Hospital, the City of York Council, run by Labour, and the Selby and York Primary Care Trust that the problem is not one of a lack of money?

"It is a lack of care home places. His Government has presided over an historic loss of 50,000 care home places over the past five years.

"In the City of York alone we are looking for 50 care places. He has increased costs to private care homes. What does he propose to do to help us get them?"

Mr Blair replied: "I do not agree with the figures that she has given and I do not know the specific situation in relation to her trust.

"But when she says that it is nothing to do with money at all, I would be very surprised if they were to say that."

Sue Ross, chief executive of Selby and York Primary Care Trust, said that at the moment the problem with delayed discharges at York District Hospital was not because of lack of money, but because of the lack of appropriate care home beds.

But she said: "In the long-term the investment in private nursing homes has not been adequate and consequently with the drive to improve standards, which is rightly so, some private homes have been forced to close."

The City of York Council was awarded just over £300,000 at the end of last year to alleviate the bed-blocking crisis - but officers have stated that it is the lack of appropriate beds that is preventing them from reducing delayed discharges.

The council said last week that it was 50 care home beds short.

Updated: 11:27 Thursday, January 31, 2002