South Essex is the worst place in the country when it comes to delays in discharging patients from hospital, it has emerged.

The region is bottom of the performance league table with nearly three times the national average of patients staying longer in hospital.

What it means is more beds are being "blocked" for new patients despite the Government pouring in £300m nationally over the next three years to try to free up beds.

The latest NHS performance statistics released today show 15.1 per cent of patients at hospitals in Southend, Basildon and Thurrock had their discharge from hospital delayed.

The figure contrasts with 4.4 per cent of North Essex Health Authority patients who had their discharge delayed.

Basildon and East Thurrock MP Angela Smith said she believed the delays were not the fault of the NHS but were because people either had no places in care homes to go to or had no support if they returned home.

Verina Wilson, executive councillor for health and social care at Southend Council, insisted the town's hospital was bucking the south Essex trend.

She said: "If you take the figures for Southend out of that it is clear we are well down on the number of delayed discharges."

More information on the Department of Health's 2002 NHS Performance Indicators

More on today's figures and local implications in today's Evening Gazette and Evening Echo

Better news for North Essex

Mid Essex and Essex Rivers trusts are leading the way with cancer services. They are better than average, with 98 per cent in north Essex seen within the Government's target time.

In mid Essex, 100 per cent of patients see a specialist within two weeks of an urgent GP referral. This is compared to the national average of 96 per cent.

Published Wednesday, February 20, 2002