A HEALTH watchdog has highlighted its concerns over the impact pressures on adult social care is having on hospital services.

Healthwatch East Sussex spoke following a decision by East Sussex County Council this week to make savings of £17m from its budget in the next financial year.

A spokesman for Healthwatch East Sussex said: “We recognise the ongoing cuts to adult social care budgets are having an effect on the provision of care in the county for some of our most vulnerable residents.

“Often the resultant lack of appropriate care places means that they remain in hospital beds when they are fit for discharge.

“This is not good for the individuals or for the health and care system as a whole.

“We know that decision makers appreciate this problem and we would want to see a way forward which doesn’t result in people spending unnecessary time in hospital but rather that all East Sussex residents receive the highest quality care in the most appropriate place.”

The council said its £365m budget was “transparent, deliverable and sustainable”.

About £7m the council would normally contribute to the Better Together programme will now come from the NHS budget.

The programme involves health and social care teams working together to improve services and help ease pressures on already busy and overstretched hospitals.

The NHS funding means there will not be any cuts to services provided through the project but pressure groups fear it could lead to further cuts in the future.

A three per cent increase in the levy for adult social care in the next council tax bill means the amount of savings planned is not as high as it could have been.

However asking residents to help contribute to the shortfall has been met with criticism and there have already been calls for the Government to step in and address the adult social care issue.

East Sussex has a high number of elderly residents and the population is ageing, meaning there is an increased demand for hospital, care home and community support.

Difficulties in getting elderly and frail patients discharged from hospital and into community care is also putting a strain on East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust as it struggles to ensure it has enough beds available.

Deputy council leader David Elkin said: “Our budget does not rely on funding that doesn’t exist and has been developed using our four priorities – keeping vulnerable people safe, supporting economic growth, helping people help themselves and making the best use of resources

“This budget provides the best way of meeting the needs of businesses and residents of East Sussex for this year and, most importantly, has an eye on the future to make sure decisions we take today give us the best chance of meeting the increasing challenges of tomorrow.”

Union officials say the full impact of the £17m cuts, and possible job losses of between 200 and 250 staff, would start to bite from September.

Other areas which could be affected by savings include children’s services such as adoption and fostering, children’s centres and the East Sussex Music Service.