SO-CALLED hospital ‘bed blockers’ could soon face legal action if they monopolise spaces needed by sick patients.

But the boss of a Dorset watchdog has said ‘threatening’ patients will not solve the problems many face.

Katie Whiteside of Royal Bournemouth Hospital claimed too many families were refusing to take their relatives home when they were fit to go.

She said one family asked the hospital to “keep hold” of a relative while they took a two-week holiday in Turkey.

On Wednesday, there were 70 patients at the facility who were medically fit to leave.

Around half had a safe place to go – a family home or care home – the hospital claimed.

Ms Whiteside said: “We have relatives coming back telling us they don’t like the decor of care homes, or they don’t like the member of staff who met them at the door.”

She added that new patients, some seriously ill, may have to wait in corridors or on trolleys in A&E while routine operations are cancelled because of the lack of beds.

The hospital trust plans to give a week’s notice to patients fit enough, who have a safe place to go, and could even evict them if they refuse or families refuse to take them.

If a case went to court, families and patients could be liable for legal costs of up to £50,000.

A hospital spokesman said: “Once medically fit for discharge, an acute hospital environment is not in the patient’s best interest.”

But Martyn Webster, manager of Healthwatch Dorset, the local health and care watchdog, said: "Threatening patients with legal action won't help solve the problems many people face when leaving hospital. People need to work together to sort this – the hospital working with patient's families, carers, friends, and other people like social services, community groups and charities to give patients the support they need when they leave hospital.”

He added: “In our latest report there are comments from local people who felt under pressure to leave hospital before they were ready."

A spokes-man at Poole Hospital, who said there are currently 48 on its wards despite being deemed medically fit for discharge still on the wards.

“The situation is exacerbated by the fact that we are also dealing with high numbers of emergency admissions,” he said.