FIGURES show that the number of available overnight beds at Dorset's hospitals has decreased over the past five years.

The stats, produced by the NHS, list the bed occupancy rates at trusts around the country on a quarterly basis.

The release has led to fears that 'bed blockers' - people staying overnight in hospital who could potentially be cared for elsewhere - are stretching the resources of trusts during times of high demand, with a gradual decrease in the number of beds available apparent across the county.

At the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals, 7.9 per cent of overnight beds on average were unoccupied between April and June this year, compared with 7.3 per cent for the same period the previous year, 9.9 per cent in 2013 and 15.1 per cent in 2012.

Poole Hospital saw a drop from 9.4 per cent of beds free for the first quarter last year to 7.3 per cent this year. In 2013, 12.8 per cent of beds were unoccupied, on average, overnight, while the year before the figure was 11.4 per cent.

At Dorset County Hospital, the figures showed 11.1 per cent of beds free this year, against 17.5 per cent in 2014, 16.3 per cent in 2013 and 20.8 per cent in 2012.

The figures revealed that over the period from April 2010 to that covered by the latest figures the total number of available overnight beds at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital has dropped from 743 to 587, at Poole Hospital from 647 to 552, and at Dorset County Hospital from 397 to 314.

Also, both Bournemouth and Poole have had day-only beds operating at full capacity for the past five years.

The Royal Bournemouth Hospital was criticised in a Care Quality Commission report in 2013 for its use of 'escalation beds' when wards were full.

Inspector Professor Sir Mike Richards said the trust "did not employ enough staff, even though it was fully aware that nearly all its beds were occupied all the time".

At a follow up inspection in August last year, the CQC found "significant improvements" had been made.