ANOTHER winter and another new scheme to tackle the scandal that is bed-blocking in this county.

We are on record as saying there is no silver bullet to the problem of bed-blocking, which is where people – usually the elderly – are fit to be discharged from hospital after treatment but the correct care and systems are not in place for them to return home.

Oxfordshire County Council and the health authorities have been working for several years now to try to cut the numbers of those stranded in this healthcare no-man’s land.

But nothing ever seems to make the inroads demanded or promised.

The latest scheme is for a private company to provide short-term care for people while their care packages are put in place, so they can at least be discharged.

While that at least clears the hospital bed, it still indicates that these care packages are not in place.

We hope that this may see some positive results.

But the feeling remains of officials hurling paint at the wall indiscriminately, hoping that a picture will take shape.