Hospital patients in Cumbria stay in hospital for weeks longer than necessary because of an acute shortage of social care places, new figures show.

The problem, known as bed blocking or delayed transfer of care, has been worse in the county than anywhere else in England this winter.

It has seen hospitals lose an average of 78 days per 1,000 people over the age of 18 as they waited for a social care package to be put in place or for a bed within a nursing or care home to become available.

According to data from NHS England, the average delay for England across 151 areas is 12 days per 1,000 people.

The worsening issue is also increasing financial pressure on the area's hospital trust, with each bed occupied by someone who no longer needs acute care said to cost the NHS £275 a day.

Brenda Smith, Cumbria County Council's corporate director for health, care and community services, said a significant amount of work was being undertaken to tackle the issue.

"The council takes this issue very seriously and is working hard with health partners to tackle it," she added.

"The challenge in Cumbria is particularly significant due to our ageing population and we are implementing a range of measures in response.

"All of this work is ongoing and its impact is being closely monitored.

"The problems will not go away overnight, but there is a clear plan across health and social care and a shared commitment to getting it right for patients and service users."

CCC added a two per cent increase to council tax from this month in a bid to help it meet the rising cost of elderly care.

The schemes already under way have included basing social workers in hospitals and supporting home care providers to recruit the staff they need to look after residents in their own homes across the area.

CCC also claims it is "investing heavily in re-enablement" to help people regain their independence to prevent them from being readmitted to hospital in the future.