Health bosses are refusing to rubber stamp "unachievable" budget and operation targets.

Figures due to be submitted to the regional health authority from Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust for 1999/2000 forecast:

A target deficit of £2.6 million

9,300 people waiting for operations at March 2000 (original target was 6,148)

3,433 people waiting more than 13 weeks for outpatient appointments.

Although this is already a fairly bleak picture members of the Trust board said yesterday they should not agree to targets which were not possible to achieve.

Non-executive director William Backhouse said: "These are unachievable targets and we should not put our name to them.

"Historically we are thrown off course every year by something and only ever reach our targets by fudging and getting last-minute cash from elsewhere."

Acting chief executive David Herd admitted the figures for this financial year were "optimistic".

In 1998/99 the actual amount spent by the Trust was £82.2 million. The amount budgeted for 1999/2000 is 79.6 million.

Mr Herd added that as far as any development in services was concerned there was a "stranglehold on resources".

Director of nursing Denise Hagel said the public should not be under any illusion to the pressure on the Trust to supply good news.

"The truth is we cannot make these sort of financial savings without service cuts," she said.

The board decided the Trust should emphasise the position in north Essex to the regional office.

"We should not be optimistic just to satisfy the health authority, but should be pessimistic," said Andrew May, clinical director for surgical services.

"There is no point being optimistic about things we cannot achieve."

The board decided that being "upfront and honest" was by far the best policy and that best and worst case scenario figures should be drawn up for discussion.

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