A DIRECTOR at the health trust in Colchester and Tendring says services are already creaking due to cost-cutting measures.

Stephen Beresky, non-executive director at primary care trust NHS North East Essex, was responding to the news the trust has to save £78million in three-and-a-half years.

The trust says it will save money by treating more patients at home instead of in hospital, but has not ruled out cuts to jobs and beds.

Mr Beresky, from Stanway, who runs a consultancy business, said: “The biggest cost in most organisations is staffing.

“The quickest way to have an impact on reducing budgets is staff.

“I want to make sure the consequences of the decisions are understood, because services are creaking.”

Directors met in Braintree this week to discuss plans to cut £27.7million from the primary care trust’s budget and £51million from the amount it pays to providers, such as the ambulance service, hospitals and the mental health partnership.

Sheila Bremner, chief executive for NHS North East Essex, said: “We must be mindful of the impact on patients and patient safety as well as the impact on targets.

“We went through a very detailed process, executive to executive, line by line, to look at the potential impact of this.

“We are satisfied by the assurances we had about the potential impact of those plans on safety and quality.”