Winchester and Southampton hospitals need to collaborate more to help each other, a health boss has said.

Rod Halls, chief executive of Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust, made the suggestion at the trust's board meeting on Wednesday.

"Blocked beds are the single most corrupt influence on the way we work," he said.

"It causes us to overspend. It causes us to use private operators very expensively. It is a dreadful state of affairs."

At any one time, there are between 70 to 100 blocked beds between the three hospitals, administered by the trust in Eastleigh, Andover and Winchester.

Patients who could otherwise leave hospital are having to be kept in beds there because there are no nursing homes for them to go to or their families cannot take them.

Earlier, Dr Martin Nancekievill, the trust medical director, said Southampton General was at "meltdown".

"There is too much demand for what they can do," he added.

Mr Halls commented: "They have invested a huge amount in orthopaedics. I would like to know what more we can do to work together."