HOSPITALS in Cumbria are deeper in debt than any others in the region - carrying a combined budget blackhole of £100 million. 

The latest figures published by NHS Improvement show the county's two hospital trusts are contributing to a £2.45 billion deficit across the country.

The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust - the body that runs Barrow's Furness General Hospital - is expected to record a debt of £39.9 million by the end of the financial year, the equivalent of 14 per cent of its turnover.

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The figure is even greater for the North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust which is expected to go £62.3m into the red - around 24 per cent of turnover.

In contrast, Northumberland Healthcare Foundation Trust is expected to record a surplus of £11.4 million by the end of the year.

Bosses at UHMBT are now implementing a strict cost-cutting programme in a bid to reduce spending by £12 million this year, though they claim it will not affect the quality of patient care.

Aaron Cummins, deputy chief executive and director of finance at Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said: "As with many other Trust’s across the country, growth in the deficit over the past year has been driven by a number of factors including: additional staffing to satisfy safe staffing guidance; premium costs of agency posts needed to deliver safe services; reduced funding available for winter pressures; the increased costs of outsourcing some activity to deliver national waiting time targets; and costs of responding to actions required for the trust to come out of special measures.

"While measures are being implemented to lower the trust’s deficit, patient safety and care remains the top priority and will not be compromised."

The latest financial forecast for the troubled health industry nationwide revealed 65 per cent of organisations reported a deficit last year.

Most were acute trusts such as hospitals providing emergency care.

Experts estimate blocking has cost the NHS an extra £145 million with 1.7 million bed days lost while £3.64 billion was spent on agency and contract staff nationwide - £1.4 billion more than planned.

Jim Mackey, Chief Executive of NHS Improvement, said: "When we consider where we were six months ago, NHS providers have done a great job in reducing the planned deficit.

"The key now is for us all to work together to make the necessary improvements in 2016/17, to reduce any variations in the quality of care for patients, and to bring the NHS provider sector back into financial balance."