PLANS for 500 new nursing homes beds for Hampshire have been given the seal of approval by the county's health bosses.

The £60 million development is a joint partnership between the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Health Authority and Hampshire County Council and aims to cut hospital waiting lists by reducing the number of blocked beds.

Parts of Hampshire currently have well below national average nursing home places, causing serious problems with delayed transfers from the county's hospitals.

It is hoped that the new initiative, which has already received the green light from the county council, will eliminate waits for nursing home placement, create the nursing home capacity needed and free up NHS resources to work on accident and emergency waiting times and inpatient and daycase waiting lists.

The beds will be placed at 15 sites around the county that have yet to be decided, but will mostly be on extensions to existing county council homes or on NHS sites.

Funding for the new scheme will be met through a £20 million grant from the Department of Health, a £20 million contribution from the Strategic Health Authority Capital Programme and a £20 million Supported Credit Approval from local government sources.

The cost of running the 500 beds, which is expected to be around £11.9 million, will be met mainly by the county council, with the remaining cost being paid by the region's primary care trusts.

Thought to be the first of its kind in the country, the project will be jointly managed by social services and the county council's property, business and regulatory department.