COLCHESTER’s hospital trust has to make £15million savings and borrow £25million from the Department of Health in 2015/16.

Colchester Hospital University Foundation NHS Trust has warned its deficit will rocket to £45million if action is not taken.

A report reveals the majority of staff have been paying “lip service” to the trust’s financial recovery. Now they will be told savings are as important as quality and patient safety.

They will also be asked to come up with money-saving “transformation ideas”.

The trust’s financial recovery plan will be put to board members on Thursday.

Colchester MP Sir Bob Russell said he would be speaking to the trust about the report.

He said: “I am a bit miffed because the Government has ring-fenced NHS spending.

“I will be speaking to the trust to establish why this figure has been put out. It is a significant sum of money and I want to find out how this deficit has come about.

“It is a large amount of money, but asapercentage of what the NHS spends in Colchester, it is onlyasmall amount.”

The report says the trust will be be considered unsustainable if it does not take a proactive stance in managing its financial position.