New figures have highlighted the problem of NHS ‘bed blocking’ in North Somerset.

So-called bed blocking figures (delayed discharge from hospital) show that at the end of October there were 34 people stuck in hospital beds in North Somerset, despite being well enough to be discharged or transferred to social care.

The official NHS figures for North Somerset reveal that 862 days in hospital beds were lost during October by delayed discharge.

The publication of the figures coincide with a new Liberal Democrat campaign for a national emergency cross party commission to solve the crisis in NHS and social care.

The funding crisis in social care means more patients than ever before are stuck in hospital beds longer than they need to be, adding pressure to local hospitals.

North Somerset Councillor Mike Bell, a member of North Somerset’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Panel, and Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Norman Lamb MP, have called for a national cross party commission to tackle the funding crisis.

Launching the campaign Councillor Bell said: “We know that Weston Hospital is under enormous pressure and that local social care services are stretched.

“These figures on delayed discharge from hospital show that precious – and expensive – NHS time are being lost because the system simply cannot cope.

“This cannot go on, with our health and social care system lurching from one problem to the next. There needs to be appropriate funding, a properly joined up system and a national, cross-party approach to make it happen.”

Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Norman Lamb MP added: “The NHS and social care face an existential crisis. Demand for services continues to rise year on year but funding is failing to keep up. The position in social care is perhaps even more serious.

“Growing pressures on services are so severe that all parties must come together to fundamentally re-think how we can guarantee the future of the NHS and social care services.

“The Government cannot avoid this issue any longer. Establishing this national commission will show they are serious about protecting these vital public services.”