Mid-Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust has a financial deficit of £10 million.

A draft report to a Trust board meeting in Broomfield Hospital yesterday detailed a number of factors that have led to it being in its worst position since 2002.

At that time, it managed to claw its way back from financial difficuties after setting up a two-year strategy to tackle significant overspending.

The latest Trust report revealed a financial hole brought about by major income losses and cost pressures.

David Bullock, the Trust's chairman, said: "There is a sense of deja vu in reading this report. Clearly it's serious. We need to find ways of solving the problem."

Finance executive Phil Neal said if the targets were not met, it could impact on its star ratings when its services are re-assessed.

Mid Essex Hospitals Services NHS Trust, which runs hospitals across mid-Essex, hopes adopting a number of measures will fight the deficit. These include cutting paper waste, controlling vacancies, and monitoring the number of overseas nurses it employs.

The Board meets again in November.

Published Tuesday, September 14, 2004

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