AIREDALE Hospital NHS Trust is facing a £300,000 overspend this financial year due to new employment regulations.

The NHS trust, which has an annual turnover of £75 million, says the European Union's new working time directive and the cost of staffing and supplies over the millennium period could force it over budget by the end of the financial year in March.

The trust must pay out in the region of £250,000 to cover the cost of the working time directive.

Millennium contingency plans, which included the purchase of additional ward supplies and drugs, also cost the trust in the region of £100,000.

Trust directors had hoped that the extra stocks brought in for the millennium period would last through until March.

However, the high activity levels caused by the flu bug and winter pressures could mean the extra resources being used up.

Director of finance Janet Crouch says: "We are expected to pay the working time directive by the end of this financial year but we've no resources to catch up, so it is going to be difficult to cover by March.

"A lot of expenditure went on topping up the wards and providing extra drugs, and in theory that should have started coming back in January, however, that may not now be the case after the activity we have seen over the last few weeks.

"Things can change and we might still be able to make our targets at the end of the year, but it is very tight.

Mrs Crouch said that she had reported the situation to the regional office.

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