Bed-blocking patients are costing a hospital trust around £1.5 million a year.

An average of 65 patients are taking up beds run by Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust despite being ready to leave.

They have to stay in hospital while social services and community support teams try to find nursing or care home places for them or arrange to provide help at their own home.

The delays are having an impact on other departments at the trust's hospitals, which include the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.

Patients are having to wait longer in accident and emergency departments to be admitted to a ward because of the shortage of beds.

It is also a traditionally busy time of the year with large numbers of patients being admitted to hospital for treatment.

The trust usually expects to admit an average of 75 patients a day but on two days last week this rose to 114 and 112 respectively.

At the same time managers are tackling their money problems by working to save around £15 million this year to get back on financial track.

This has led to beds being closed and jobs being cut which has added to the pressure.

Director of service transformation Simon Payler (crct) said: "The problem is there is not sufficient capacity across the range of services at the moment, whether it is to find a bed in a home for a patient or care for them in their own house."

Managers at the trust's board meeting yesterday (tues) acknowledged the trust needed to improve its own performance in some areas but also intended to push for more to be done by social services, primary care trusts and community trusts.

Trust chairman Glynn Jones said: "Apart from the cost, the main concern is that patients are in hospital when they would be better cared for elsewhere.

"This is just not acceptable."

In a report to the trust board, Mr Payler outlined what other organisations were doing to deal with the problem.

Brighton and Hove social services and South Downs Health NHS Trust say part of the issue was caused by a shortage of beds at Brighton General Hospital where patients at the Royal Sussex could be sent to build up their strength before being discharged.

There had been plans to open an extra five beds to provide more than 50 but capacity has been reduced to 41 instead because of staffing problems.

There have been problems getting regular temporary staff to provide cover but recruiting for permanent workers is now under way.

There are also plans to provide extra services for elderly patients with mental health problems.