SOCIAL Services chiefs in Bolton are confident they will not be hit by Government plans to fine councils for not moving elderly patients from hospital beds quickly enough.

The Government, through the Delayed Discharge Bill, is seeking to fine Social Services departments £100 if elderly patients stay in hospital two days longer than is necessary.

But health services in Bolton, despite having had a major bed blocking problem 18 months ago, are confident the fines will not affect the town.

When elderly patients are fit enough to leave hospital but not fit enough to return home, they are sent to intermediate care homes, such as Thicketford House, as part of a scheme introduced a year ago.

Nationally, it is estimated that bed blocking costs the NHS £170 million a year. More than 3,500 elderly people a day block beds in England. From 2006, new financial rules mean that hospitals will make a loss if they continue to care for patients longer than necessary.

But Bolton bosses say they are not afraid of the new measures and the maximum number of elderly patients blocking beds every month is no more than eight.

Nigel Palmer, deputy director of operations at the Royal Bolton Hospital, said: "We work alongside Social Services very closely and problems with bed blocking are minimal.

"We are confident that this will not be a major issue because there is not a lack of services."

A spokesman for Bolton Social Services said: "We have a very good record locally in not delaying discharges and we don't anticipate this being an issue for us in the future."

Mary Cropper, director of service provision for Bolton Primary Care Trust, said: "We have the lowest rate of bed blocking in the North-west and probably one of the best nationwide to meet Government targets.

"We have agreed to use any additional money to build capacity into the system so we can plan discharging a patient as early as we can."

However members of the Health, Overview and Scrutiny Committee at Bolton Council say they will be keeping a close eye on developments.

Chairman Cllr Andy Morgan said: "We have some concerns about discharging these patients inappropriately so that the hospital gets them off the statistics. Every move is a bad move for the elderly."

"It might be that a residential place is all there is and then the patients will be moved on again a few days later. We will be keeping an eye on the situation."

In May 2002, a damning report by Bolton PCT showed the average length of stay for elderly patients at the Royal Bolton Hospital was 76 days, with one patient staying for more than a year in the £300-a-day beds.

"There is only the odd person that, perhaps one or two a week, who need discussing and there is not an issue in terms of getting people into appropriate nursing or residential care. Sometimes, there are patients who will be going into residential care and funding themselves and we have to wait for them to find accommodation.