ALMOST a quarter of beds in a Hampshire hospital were blocked on just one day because patients had no care in place if they left.

Council chiefs were told that 220 of the 900 beds available at Southampton General Hospital were being taken up by elderly people who were well but could not leave.

The shocking picture of what happened on January 9 was revealed as the full extent of the bed blocking problem that is worsening the A&E crisis in Hampshire hospitals was laid bare to a health and social care committee.

Now a senior council boss has said that the problem is not just triggered by winter pressures but is happening all year round as she called for dramatic changes to be made to the way the council and NHS worked together.

Earlier this month the Daily Echo revealed the crisis at the A&E department at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital (RHCH) in Winchester, where patients were waiting hours for treatment.

One 82 year old woman had to lift her top to be medically examined while she was on a trolley in a corridor at the RHCH had to lift her top to be medically examined.

The total number of people delayed per 100,000 has increased from four in 2013-14 to 6.4 last November.

Hampshire is the fourth best performing county out of 16 shire counties.

Gill Duncan, county council director of adult services, told the health and adult social care select committee yesterday that there were more elderly patients with complex needs needing more care outside hospital.

Ms Duncan said the council and the NHS would have to change the way they work together.

“It is not just winter pressures, it is every month through the year now. We need to run the system in a different way every day of the week.”

The meeting heard how one major problem in the Winchester area is the lack of people willing to work as carers. She said: “This isn’t a money issue, it is about workforce availability. Some people require four visits a day requiring two carers.”

Cllr Fiona Mather said there was virtually no unemployment in Winchester and, with low pay, caring was struggling to attract staff.

Ms Duncan agreed. “It is difficult to get care staff in Winchester. We want people to be proud to be carers. There aren’t enough people wanting to be carers to deliver the level of care that is needed.

“We are working on that with our NHS partners. At the moment it does not feel that the wider society values carers, which is a fabulous job and which people do day in day out often in difficult circumstances.”