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Worcestershire hospitals face £33.4m deficit in 2026/27

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 09:02 · Archive

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is facing a £33.4 million deficit, £6.9 million worse than predicted halfway through the 2026/27 financial year.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs three hospitals in the county, is facing a £33.4 million deficit, £6.9 million worse than predicted almost halfway through the 2026/27 financial year.

The trust's interim chief finance officer, Katie Osmond, told a board meeting that the pay bill had risen due to sickness, vacancies and leave cover. Despite recent substantive recruitment, the amount of temporary staffing needed had not fallen. The trust also paid out £400,000 in severance payments to staff who agreed to leave their jobs voluntarily as part of a mutually agreed resignation scheme.

Ms Osmond said the upwards trajectory of the deficit was of 'significant concern'. She told board members that the trust was 'currently off-plan' and that the national team had withheld deficit support funding that was part of the planned position. The trust has delivered almost £11 million of cost efficiencies year-to-date but this is about £4 million less than planned.

Ms Osmond said the trust has instigated a financial recovery plan and is expecting a reduction in 'premium' agency and bank spend as it moves out of the 'difficult summer period' and into autumn and winter.

Worcestershire hospitals face £33.4m deficit in 2026/27
Image: Malvern Gazette

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In this story: Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust · Katie Osmond · Worcestershire

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