UP to a third of beds at Morecambe Bay hospitals are occupied by people 'who should be receiving care in a community setting.'

MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron attended a meeting with senior members of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust where 'bedblocking' was brought up. He said a 'lack of investment into social care' is a reason why there is the current crisis.

Scott McLean, the chief operating officer for Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, said patients often do not have anywhere to go when it is time to be discharged.

He said: "It is a fact that our hospitals currently have 25 to 30 per cent of beds occupied by citizens who should be receiving care in a community setting - ideally in their own home. This does cause issues with the running of our acute hospitals and community health services. 

"Whilst we do not support use of the term 'bed blocking,' it is the case that these patients having care at, or close to, home would free-up significant capacity in our acute hospitals for patients who require it." 

READ MORE: Bed blocking an issue at Morecambe Bay hopsitals trust

Mr Farron said: "It is not these people's fault and the problem is that the care industry is collapsing. There is a lack of investment in social care."

According to the Kings Fund, the total number of NHS hospital beds in England has more than halved over the past 30 years. The UK has fewer acute beds relative to its population than many comparable health systems. 

Last year, the Government pledged to tackle NHS Covid backlogs and cut waiting times with a £36 billion investment in health and social care. 

This is not the first time that Morecambe Bay has faced this issue. Last year there was a day when three-quarters of patients deemed fit to leave the hospitals in the trust were not discharged. NHS guidance says that patients eligible for discharge should leave the same day.