A HOSPITAL trust is struggling to meet targets on two of its accident and emergency wards because 50 patients who should be in care homes are taking up beds.

The "bed-blocking" crisis is affecting the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, where there are 36 patients waiting to be moved, and the Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath, where there are 14.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals' NHS Trust said the problem had been made worse by a higher-than-expected number of patients arriving in the A&E department.

And that is partly due to people having problems getting an appointment with a GP out of hours.

Simon Payler, the trust's director of service transformation, said: "Having beds taken up like this has an impact on patient waiting times and our financial position."

The Argus has reported many times this year how the falling number of care homes has exacerbated "bed-blocking" - when elderly people are forced to stay in hospital because no place can be found for them in a home.

A lot of private homes closed following the introduction of new regulations which would have forced them to carry out costly renovations to meet new standards. That has left hospitals with little choice but to keep patients in a hospital bed.

Councillor Francis Tonks, who sits on the Adult Social Care and Health Committee at Brighton and Hove City Council, said: "It is a problem. A lot of nursing homes are closing because of the new Government regulations. They are businesses and they can make more money selling off the land."

Rosemary Shepherd, of the hospitals trust's patients' public involvement forum, said: "Things are not in place for patients leaving hospital. There are not enough places for them to go.Even those who can afford to pay are struggling to find places."

Mr Payler said staff were working flat out to ensure almost all patients were seen, treated and admitted or discharged within four hours.

However, he said: "We have been progressing very well but the issue of delayed discharges is having an impact and the situation is deteriorating instead of getting better."

Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust is working with South Downs Health, the hospitals' trust and social services to find home for the 50 patients.

Solutions include finding temporary beds where patients can stay until they are ready to go home.

Other plans include providing extra support and care for patients in their own home.

The hospitals' trust has expanded its discharge lounge at the Royal Sussex so more patients can wait there on the day they are due to leave hospital, instead of waiting in bed and preventing new patients coming in.

Coun Tonks said: "We are developing our sheltered housing at Patching Lodge and when that is done there will be twice as many places but the difficulty is always finding the money.

"We are all under pressure and it's a hell of a job trying to do all the things we would like to."