Hundreds of patients are continuing to be kept in hospitals in Kent even though they are well enough to be discharged, latest figures show.

Figures on what are termed as “delayed discharges” show that the county’s acute hospitals are still struggling to free up beds for new patients.

This is because there is a shortage of places at care homes, or help from carers to enable them return home.

The government has announced plans to invest £250m to buy thousands of beds in care homes to help relieve the pressure on hospitals amid a winter crisis.

Ministers hope the investment will free up hospital beds so patients can be admitted more quickly from A&E to hospital wards.

An analysis of figures for the first week in December indicates that all Kent hospitals are continuing to have to prolong the time patients remain, because there is not the capacity required in the care home sector.

The East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust reported that over the week in question, 2,420 beds were occupied by patients well enough to leave but 1,727 patients had to remain.

These figures incorporate data from the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, the QEQM in Margate and the Kent & Canterbury.

Over the same week, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust reported 1,428 patients well enough to leave - but 1,210 were unable to.

The Medway Maritime Hospital figures show it had with 737 patients deemed well enough to leave, but 378 unable to do so.

At the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, 336 patients were well enough to leave and 187 were discharged.

Doctors say the throughput of patients to and from hospital is a significant challenge.

Ashford GP Dr Jack Jacobs said: “I look after a lot of patients who could be going home, or to a care home but acute and urgent care is not working.

"If you can't get patients out of hospital you can't get the patients into hospital and that is critical.That is when patients get stuck in ambulances.”

The Integrated Care Board, representing Kent County Council (KCC) and hospital trusts, has acknowledged the pressures caused by delayed discharges.

A statement said: “Where people are unable to immediately return home from hospital, we use community health and social care beds to facilitate safe and timely discharges from hospital.

"KCC’s commissioning teams are working across health and social care partners to identify and implement activities to support the provider market and enable flow through health and social care services.”

“The provider market in Kent continues to be under pressure due to workforce challenges across the adult social care sector nationally.

"Care and support in the home services are critical to supporting other parts of the health and care system by enabling flow from short-term discharge and enablement services.”

Kent County Council faces a £22.7m overspend in its care budget, with a recent report blaming the rising costs partly on staff shortages and the need to take on agency staff, which is more costly.

About £10.4m of the overspend is because beds used on a short-term basis are significantly more expensive than long-term beds.