Lincoln County Hospital is recruiting staff to combat bed-blocking patients after new data showed the bill for them had hit £2.5 million.
More than 7,500 patients at Lincoln County Hospital stayed in a bed longer than was needed during the last two and a half years, figures obtained by the Echo under the Freedom of Information Act show.
The hospital racked-up a bill of more than £1.4 million between 2012 and 2014 by keeping patients in hospital when they were ready to leave.