Hospitals announce recruitment freeze

Louise Barnett, the trust's chief executive, reported a deficit of £91.7m

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust (SaTH) has announced a recruitment freeze for non-critical roles as it attempts to deal with a "significant financial deficit".

It said it had a "responsibility to ensure taxpayers’ money is used effectively".

A report to the trust's board noted on Thursday it had a deficit of £91.7m against its planned deficit of £45.3m.

John Jones, the trust's medical director, promised safety would not be compromised amid the freeze and added: "We want to work with colleagues to understand opportunities for us to work more efficiently."

The trust said the freeze would allow it to "work to review vacancies and restore financial balance".

The Green Party in Shropshire said it had written to the county's MPs and the government to express its concern and to ask for greater funding.

Julian Dean, who leads the Green Group on Shropshire Council, said: "No hospital trust would stop recruiting staff when our NHS is so understaffed unless there is an acute funding emergency."

He said healthcare in the county was "threatened by inadequate staffing levels derived from insufficient funding and proper forward planning".