Trust which runs West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds will cut temporary staffing costs to save money says CEO Dr Ewen Cameron

The CEO of a Suffolk NHS trust has warned it faces a planned deficit of £15.2 million by the end of this financial year.

Dr Ewen Cameron, CEO of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT), will outline the difficult financial position the trust is in to its board of directors tomorrow.

In his CEO report, published ahead of the board meeting, Dr Cameron said the deficit is significantly larger than the one faced at the end of the 2023/2024 financial year - which was £6.3 million.

This was partly due to the £15 million non-recurrent financial support it received.

Discussing this financial year, Dr Cameron said: “To achieve the planned deficit, we must deliver a cost improvement programme of £16.5 million - which is four per cent of our expenditure.

“This is broadly in line with other NHS organisations’ cost improvement programmes.

“However while it is significantly more than last year, it is worth nothing that almost all savings last year were delivered after the financial recovery plan started.”

“As we look at regaining our financial footing, we are working hard to ensure that whatever decisions we take have as minimal impact as possible on the high quality and safe care we provide to our communities.”

The cost improvement plan which will focus on specific areas where savings can be made by the trust which runs West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket Community Hospital.

These include cutting the amount spent on temporary staff and reviewing opportunities to use more cost effective drugs.

WSFT also hopes to save money by improving productivity and identifying areas where services can be delivered more efficently.