WILTSHIRE'S Social Services director Ray Jones has hit back at claims that bed blocking in the county's hospitals is due to a cut in spending.

The number of beds blocked, when patients who could have been discharged are kept in hospital, is higher than at the same time last year, raising fears of another winter crisis.

The Registered Nursing Home Association (RNHA) criticised the bed blocking and alleged this week the lives of elderly people were being put at risk.

It claimed Social Services had cut back on services for the elderly.

Figures released by Wiltshire Health Authority showed that between October 1999 and September 2000 there were between 84 and 130 patients in acute hospitals at any one time whose discharges had been delayed for one reason or another.

The latest report shows that 116 patients are waiting to be discharged, of whom 62 are waiting for funding from Social Services for residential or nursing home care. Another 45 people living in the community are awaiting Social Services funding.

The majority of the 116 beds blocked are in Swindon's Princess Margaret Hospital, Bath's Royal United Hospital and Salisbury District Hospital, but this week six beds were blocked at Devizes Hospital and 16 in Chippenham Hospital.

Frank Ursell, chief executive officer of the RNHA, said: "Things appear to be going from bad to worse. In effect, patients are being denied the care they need and having to stay in hospital for too long. This is an additional danger to their health as it exposes them unnecessarily to the risk of picking up an infection."

But Dr Jones said: "The reason there is a waiting list for funding from the county council for residential and nursing home placements is not because the county council has been cutting its funding for care for older people.

"The county council has increased its funding for older people this year and is helping more older people than ever before, but the need and demand for services by increasing numbers of older people in our community is still outstripping the funding available."

A spokesman for Wiltshire Health Authority it was working with health trusts,Primary Care Groups and social services to address the situation.

Care home owners claim they are struggling to survive. Six care homes have closed in Wiltshire this year and bed blocking adds to the pressure as beds in homes lie empty waiting for patients to be discharged from hospital.

A care home manager in north Wiltshire, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "Social Services is paying care homes £2 an hour and the minimum salary we pay our staff is £3.70. The nearer a home is to full occupancy the nearer it is to breaking even. The situation gets worse with bed blocking and it costs about five times more a week to keep someone in hospital. Many homes are closing and people are petrified at losing their businesses and homes."