A ‘ROBUST’ action plan is required by the local health trust to hit its target of cutting debt to £42.7million for 2017/18.
And in a worst case scenario board members at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have been warned debts could reach £63.8m.
Figures for July show the trust, which runs the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, Worcestershire Royal in Worcester and Kidderminster Hospital, is running a year-to-date deficit of £17.7m, which is £1.5m worse than planned.
It has also missed a total of £1.4m of improvement incentives.
Finance chiefs acknowledge the trust’s savings drive has currently stalled, covering just £10.1m of the £21.1m required.
Increased staffing costs have also hit the financial recovery plan.
As a result, each of the trust’s divisions were tasked to come up with increased savings.
Investment have also been made to tackle waiting times for treatment which should also bring cost benefits.
Health chiefs are exploring maximising operating theatre productivity and improving staff recruitment which will lessen its dependence on expensive locum staff. It also plans to centralise the booking of agency staff in a further bid to cut costs.
