Social services bosses across Sussex will be given more than £8.6 million next year to tackle the county's "bed blocking" crisis.

West Sussex is to get £4.88 million in 2002/3, one of the largest awards in England.

East Sussex will get £2.64 million and Brighton and Hove £1.11 million, the Department of Health said today.

All three authorities said the money would be used to make more nursing and care home spaces available so patients do not have to spend days stuck in hospital waiting for a place.

This "bed blocking" has a knock-on effect on other hospital departments by delaying the transfer of patients from accident and emergency on to main surgical wards, forcing them to wait on trolleys.

Ministers first announced action to tackle bed blocking last October.

East Sussex was awarded £1.25m to spend in the current financial year, Brighton and Hove £537,000 and West Sussex £2.31m.

The local authorities were guaranteed at least the same amount in 2002/3 but have today been awarded around double that figure.

Hundreds of patients are stranded at hospitals across the county because of a shortage of nursing and care home places.

Dozens of homes have closed in the last year because owners cannot afford to pay for improvements to meet new Government standards that come into force in April.

Owners say councils need to pay at least £400 per patient per week if a home is to stay open and provide a good service.

Ministers said the relatively large size of the awards recognised all three areas were included in a list of 55 "hot spots", with a significant number of beds taken up by elderly people who are fit to leave hospital but have nowhere to go.

Health Minister Jacqui Smith said: " This is not a short term funding fix but part of changing the way services are delivered so that the care sector is stabilised and reductions in delay are long term and sustainable."

The bulk of the money is expected to be spent on buying extra places in private care homes.

But the money could also be used to employ extra social services staff so elderly people can be cared for in their homes.