THE Financial Director for the Western Trust has warned that its year end deficit could turn out to be as much as £3 million higher than the £8.5 million it is currently reporting.

During the latest Trust Board meeting Lesley Mitchell told Board members there was great concern over the very real potential that the Trust could slip further into the red before the end of March.

In her report for the Trust’s financial position at the end of December Ms. Mitchell noted that her Chief Executive, Elaine Way, had written to the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) requesting an urgent meeting to discuss the difference between the Trust’s deficit and the HSCB’s expectations of the deficit.

Two months on the Trust is still awaiting a reply.

While the Trust has made it clear it currently stands at £8,624,000 in the red, the HSCB still has a projection of £6 million deficit for the West.

Such are the pressures on the Trust that Ms. Way had to authorise additional expenditure in January to cope with “severe winter pressures”.

“This will impact further on the off plan position over the coming months if no funding becomes available for this pressure,” warned the Financial Director.

“Urgent action needs to be taken to address this off plan position as the Trust has limited time remaining to address this problem. It is also becoming evident that as the Trust implements the proposals, difficulties are arising which are impacting on the level of cost savings being achieved.

“The underachievement against existing plans and the potential underachievement of cost reductions planned over the next three months is of great concern and as a result, there is the potential that the Trust could be reporting in its financial year end accounts a deficit which could be as much as £3 million higher than the reported deficit of £8.5m. Urgent action needs to be agreed to address this off plan position as the Trust has limited time remaining to address this problem,” said Ms. Mitchell.