THE pressures faced by the NHS are well-documented but it is sad to see hospitals continuing to struggle to get patients discharged quickly.

Like other trusts around Sussex and the rest of the country, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals has a lot of problems with bed-blocking patients.

The patients don’t want to stay in hospital and the hospital would like to discharge them but it can’t because no community or nursing home bed is available or arrangements to provide support in their own homes have not been made.

It’s not good for the patient and it is not good for hospital staff who are struggling to deal with long queues in accident and emergency departments because no beds are available on the wards.

It also means bed occupancy rates are running higher than recommended safe levels of 85 per cent, which adds to the pressure.

This is not something the trust can deal with alone – it’s a system wide issue caused by cuts and changes in social care and one where organisations need to work together to solve.

Hospital trusts and council and clinical commissioning groups have been trying to deal with the issue for some time and some improvements have been made, such as opening up extra beds in Newhaven.

However, there are fears from campaigners that further cuts expected to come about as a result of controversial sustainability and transformation plans could put the system under even more pressure. It remains to be seen what happens but it is clear this crisis, once known as winter pressures, is now continuing throughout the year and shows no signs of ending.