Councils face fines for bedblocking

COUNCILS could be fined for failing to do enough to help elderly patients leave hospital, under proposals from Jeremy Hunt.

The Health Secretary will introduce new bedblocking targets for local authorities to reduce the number of patients stuck in hospital.

Bedblocking is when a patient is medically fit enough to leave but cannot because the necessary care has not been put in place at home. It affects 6,600 patients and in about a third of cases is the fault of the local council.

Mr Hunt is considering penalising councils by cutting their share of a new £2billion social care fund announced in April’s budget.