A MULTI-million pound grant to help reduce hospital bedblocking, has been warmly welcomed by Suffolk County Council.The county has been allocated £3.

A MULTI-million pound grant to help reduce hospital bedblocking, has been warmly welcomed by Suffolk County Council.

The county has been allocated £3.3 million for the next financial year – which is nearly double the amount already received.

The grant can only be used to reduce the number of people who are stuck in hospital beds because no other care is available. At Ipswich Hospital there are about 50 people waiting for alternative care.

A spokesman for the council, said it is working in partnership with the NHS and private and voluntary sectors, and has already invested extra money to increase nursing and residential home places, and to prevent hospital admissions where possible.

He added: "Some progress has already been made to enable people to leave hospital and either return home or move into nursing homes.

"Suffolk is not alone in facing these challenges. This is a national problem which the Government has recognised. Suffolk's situation is about average when compared with other health authorities in the region."

The new money will be spent on key projects including home care teams which have been established to respond quickly to help people go home sooner from hospital.

Terry Green, a member of the county council's executive committee, said: "We very much welcome the additional £3.3. This will go a long way to achieving our strategy to rapidly reduce delayed transfers."