A national response is needed to ease the burden of bed-blocking at overstretched hospitals, an MP said today.

Hastings and Rye Labour MP Michael Foster said an extra 300 Government-funded community beds in East Sussex announced this week were welcome.

But the fact hospital beds were still being occupied by patients fit for discharge but with nowhere to go indicated more needed to be done.

Mr Foster said: "Once people leave their home and are in hospital care for too long the chances of them returning safely to their home is that much less likely.

"It is my firm opinion that we are going to see ever-larger numbers in residential care in the years ahead and that should be the subject of a national response."

Mr Foster suggested a return to the system 20 years ago when income support paid for any shortfall in residential home fees.

He also suggested local authorities should bill the Government for 90 per cent of the cost of residential home places.

Mr Foster said: "That would be a fairer way of dealing with the problem and also avoid the massive waste of resources that currently exists in assessing the priority of bed-blockers."

Bed-blocking has been a long-running acute problem in East Sussex.

East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Eastbourne District General Hospital and the Conquest Hospital in St Leonards, cancelled 188 operations between April and June this year.

This was in part due to the number of elderly patients blocking beds because no nursing or care homes could be found for them.

Care Services Minister Liam Byrne announced this week that £34.7 million will be spent building four care centres for the elderly in the county.

The money will pay for replacement care centres in Ridgewood Rise, Uckfield; Harvard Road, Ringmer; Mount Denys, Hastings, and a new centre in Rother.

Two centres will specialise in care of people with dementia. All will have long-term nursing care, sheltered accommodation, short-term respite and rehabilitation.

Each site will have a GP surgery and pharmacy. Patients will have access to speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists as well as a community cafe.