In his report to the board last week, South Warwickshire Hospitals Trust chief executive Glen Burley said the Lakin Road site was busier than ever.

And he added that difficulties discharging patients who no longer needed hospital care had become a pressing concern.

Mr Burley said: "On any one day there are between 50 and 60 patients who are waiting for transfer, or in some cases who simply just need more support in their home.

"Significant numbers of patients who should not be in hospital are compromising the care for those who need to be here."

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
We'd like to hear your views on this story. You can send us your comments by simply clicking on this email:
This is what I think

The hospital operated with 18 more beds than its official capacity during May - up two on the March total.

And consequences have included delays in hydrogen peroxide 'deep cleaning', part of the battle against superbugs.

Because patients need to be moved during the process, four wards are yet to be properly cleaned in the latest cycle.

Mr Burley added: "Ongoing deep cleaning has been compromised by the bed state."

His "frustration" was compounded by recent successes in the fight against infections.

The trust's cases of MRSA reduced dramatically during the second half of the year to April. Between April and June only one patient contracted the bug on the wards.

During the same period there were 14 hospital-acquired incidents of C diff - down 58 on the same quarter last year.

Among other problems, the chief executive said a winter contingency ward had remained full - leaving no space to move patients to during a £200,000 refit of Malins Ward.

That project has now been delayed for a second time and will not happen until next year, although the postponement may aid efforts to catch up on deep cleaning, which can be conducted on a bay-by-bay basis, drawing on less spare space.

A move towards single-sex wards throughout the hospital, as demanded by health secretary Alan Johnson, also remains an elusive target.

In May director of nursing Jane Ives admitted there had been "numerous breaches" of the policy due to demand for space.

And Mr Burley added last week: "If this continues we will need to review our long-term site plan to ensure we have sufficient capacity and also to ensure we improve our performance related to patient dignity and privacy, in particular reducing incidents of admitting patients to mixed sex bays."