A HEALTH director has warned that hospitals in Worcestershire face an 'extremely challenging' financial year ahead.

Bosses have warned about the challenges of improving the trust's quality, performance and finances at the same time.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre, missed its financial target in May and ended up with a £4.5m deficit, which was £300,000 more than expected.

This was mainly down to the trust making just £500,000 in cuts in May, missing £1m savings target for the month.

Missing the deficit target meant that the trust cannot access additional Sustainability and Transformational Funding, which rewards financial performance.

The overspend was recently discussed at the trust's board meeting at Kidderminster Treatment Centre.

Philip Mayhew, a non-executive director of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "At the moment it isn't good news.

"This is going to be an extremely challenging year financially for the Trust.

"We are in an extremely challenging financial position."

Jill Robinson, director of finance for the trust, said: "We are seeing lots of improvements come through but not at the rate we need them to come through."

Ms Robinson said that it is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with quality and performance issues while also improving the trust's financial position.

She added that they also face workforce issues.

The trust paid workers £600,000 more than it intended to in May.

This was mainly due to the cost of temporary medics and nurses being higher than expected.

Trust chief executive Michelle McKay said an overseas recruitment drive, including a trip to India this month, has been launched to draw in medical staff.

The Shuttle previously reported that the trust had a shortage of 111 doctors and 164 nurses in June.

Some £20.9m of cuts are set to be made at the trust this year, under its Cost Improvement Programme.