HEALTH bosses are set to "buy" beds in private nursing homes to head off a winter accommodation crisis in hospitals.

East Lancashire Health Authority has linked with Burnley Health Trust to tender for nursing home places for patients who are medically fit for discharge from hospital - but have no adequate place to go to in the community.

The bid to prevent fit patients blocking beds because they have nobody to look after them when they are discharged from hospital is one of a number of Burnley NHS Trust's initiatives to cope with the expected extra demand on hospitals during the Christmas and New Year periods.

Last year a flu outbreak over Christmas saw an almost doubling of admissions at Burnley General.

Seventy three medical patients had to be transferred to surgical beds, resulting in postponement of 60 operations.

This year the bill for extra winter care is likely to top £500,000 - but no extra money to pay for the increased demand on hospital services has been made available by the Government.

But trust chief executive David Chew today outlined special measures being taken to deal with winter pressures in a report to a meeting of the trust board. Bed management arrangements have been strengthened with the appointment of a hospitals bed manager, supported by extra information on debt availability.

There will be a shake-up of consultant and junior doctors' on-call structures to provide extra support to patients.

Two recently-vacated children's wards will be used for medical admissions, with additional nurses transferred from Rossendale.

The elective medical unit will be open 24 hours a day between December 29 and January 9 and the new medical; admissions centre will come on stream to assist the overall situation in early January.

Mr Chew said the Rakehead Rehabilitation Centre at Burnley General will be used for acute medical patients over the winter period depending on demand, although this will reduce the hospital's rehabilitation service capacity.

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