IN reference to council leader Keith Mitchell's verdict on bed blocking costing £3.3m, despite Oxfordshire being second worst out of 153 local authorities.

One often associates Mr. Mitchell with announcements of ‘spending cuts’, although I have some sympathy.

While I do not have access to all facts and figures, I do make I hope, some constructive observations from past family experience.

It is easy to blame social services and health care professionals for the problem, but they deserve a lot of praise for doing an excellent job in difficult circumstances.

Excessive delays cost money, but the issue is one of additional physical impairment which the delays cause to patients’ capabilities. It is essential with an increasing elderly population, to develop more satisfactory, responsive, preventative solutions.

What is the point in spending large amounts of money on care if the consequences of excessive extended stays in hospital put the patient in potential jeopardy of losing physical or mental capabilities?

The answer could be to say no, go into a home. But this is definitely not the solution.

Clearly the present system is over stretched.

It seems the elderly are having increasing long waits to be seen.

Surely it must be possible to determine the most common types of elderly health categories/ issues and find better different dedicated facilities or means to deal with them.

The elderly are prone to falls. Going into hospital is necessary, but after-care ‘falls down’, if suitable physiotherapy is not there.

They deserve the chance to go to a gym and receive physiotherapy.

It is expensive to set up, but surely this approach saves money in the long-term.

D STONE, Templar Road, Oxford