A big rise in the number of emergency patients has created the “perfect financial storm” for the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust and has cost it more than £2.3 million so far.

The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford’s Princess Royal have been under intense pressure dealing with thousands more emergency admissions and A&E patients than contracted for.

But for every patient it treats above its contract level, the hospital trust gets only 30 per cent of the cost from its “paymasters”, the primary care trusts.

At the same time the extra work means routine operations and treatments are having to be cancelled, losing the trust more money.

In December there were 3,666 emergency admissions at the hospitals – 415 more than had been planned for.

The emergency figure from April last year to the present is 30,500 – already 1,696 higher than the contracted number for the full 12 months.

A&E attendances last month totalled 8,362, which was 432 above contract. The year-to-date A&E figure is 80,392 – 2,427 more than expected.

A report to the trust board yesterday showed the tariff shortfall in December was £638,000, but since last April the total figure is £2.332 million The trust at the end of last month had an overall financial deficit of £698,000 against what was a planned surplus of £2.474 million.

Chief executive Adam Cairns told board members: “We have found ourselves in the perfect financial storm.”

He said the trust had “run up a big bill” in staff costs as a result of the extra work.

Figures revealed that pay costs came top just over £16 million last month – 11.6 per cent above plan for December. Agency costs were £756,000.

Mr Cairns said he was looking forward to having a “constructive dialogue” with the PCTs and was optimistic they would be supportive. He praised staff for the way they had coped with the rise in patient numbers.

Mr Cairns revealed the trust was to take on three additional obstetricians and was recruiting 15 more midwives. It was also going to recruit more anaesthetists.

By Health Correspondent Dave Morris