THE hospital bed blocking crisis in North Yorkshire has been eased by a £700,000 cash injection from the health authority.

The move follows a D&S Times story in July which highlighted the plight of elderly people stuck in acute hospital beds for months until social services funding became available to enable them to move to nursing homes.

Following talks between social services and the health authority, the one-off funding package was released across North Yorkshire and the city of York at the end of August. The move helps dozens of old people who no longer require acute medical care to move out of hospital and frees medical beds for patients waiting to be admitted.

At Northallerton's Friarage hospital, seven elderly people are being moved into nursing homes as a result. One is 91-year-old Mr David Thomas, whose situation brought the bed blocking crisis to light in July.

He had been on a medical ward at the Friarage for six weeks when nursing staff said they had done what they could for him and he was ready to move to a nursing home. A place was found at Thornton Rust in Wensleydale, close to his daughter's home in Middleham, but the family was told he faced a wait of up to eight months for the necessary funding.

Mrs Anne Stansfield, Mr Thomas's daughter, learned on Monday that funding had been secured, thanks to the health authority cash.

"We were despairing about the situation because he was unhappy and unsettled in hospital," she said. "We asked how much it would be for us to fund him at the nursing home and, although it was a lot, we worked out that, while it was a struggle, we could just about manage it for a few months until social services funding came through.

"He went to Thornton Rust and has his own room with his own personal belongings around him and is much more settled. We were gob-smacked and delighted when the social worker told us on Monday that the funding was coming through."

Mr Hugh Williamson, community care group manager with North Yorkshire social services, said the health authority cash was a one-off and, while it was very welcome, it would not solve the problem.

"It is good news for those people who are now able to move and benefits others who are waiting because they will now face a shorter wait," he said. "However, it is a one-off and doesn't solve the problem across the county."