NEARLY £900,000 will be used to get old people out of hospitals in Greenwich and Lewisham in a government bid to stop bed-blocking.

Health secretary Alan Milburn and local government secretary Stephen Byers unveiled the cash as part of a £300m two-year nationwide scheme.

Greenwich and Lewisham Council's have welcomed funding of £430,000 and £464,000 respectively to help get elderly people out of hospital so they can be cared for in a more suitable setting.

As part of the radical "cash for change" programme, it focuses on councils and the independent sector entering into longer-term agreements over elderly care.

It will allow old people who no longer need to be in hospital, to receive alternative care including publicly-funded places in nursing homes and intensive-care packages to allow them to return home.

Greenwich executive member for health and social care Councillor David Grant said: "Once your medical treatment is finished, hospital is not generally the best place to remain, yet many people, particularly the elderly, find they are held there for want of a more appropriate setting."

Lewisham's deputy for social care and health Councillor Mike Holder said: "We continue to work closely with University Hospital Lewisham and other partners, especially independent sector providers, to reduce delays in hospital discharge."

October 26, 2001 14:04