ALLEGATIONS of bed-blocking involving elderly people in Bury's hospitals have prompted a call for an independent inquiry.

Council leader, Cllr John Byrne, wants the town's Health Authority and Health Care Trust to join him in urging the Audit Commission to take "a thorough look" at the situation.

It follows a string of recent complaints that old people are taking up vital beds in Bury's hospitals because the council has no care-home places for them.

Cllr Byrne claims it is a national scandal and that Bury council has nothing to hide. He said it was already spending more money than the Government stipulated and that any inquiry would "exonerate us".

"At the moment Bury is committed to paying for some 600 residential and nursing home placements and 1,200 community packages in a joint agreement with the Health Authority. However, such is demand that we are currently funding substantially above this number, nearly 700 in nursing and residential care and some 1,500 community care packages. That extra cost is being borne by local people."

He added: "Simply put, the council tax payers of Bury are subsidising the Health Service. As far as we are concerned it is a scandal on a national scale and the sooner something is done about it, the better."

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