SCOTLAND’s most financially-stricken health board has reported a £6.4 million overspend in the first six months of this year.

NHS Tayside, which is already having to make savings of over £200m in the long term, has now forecast a deficit of nearly £6m in 2017/18.

Scottish Tory MSP Miles Briggs said: “NHS Tayside’s financial woes have been well documented – but they don’t seem to be getting any better.”

NHS Tayside serves nearly 400,000 patients in Dundee, Perth and Angus and covers SNP Health Secretary Shona Robison’s constituency.

However, a failure to keep within budget has plunged the organisation into financial crisis.

The Scottish Government has provided over £30m to NHS Tayside in “bailout” loans, but repayments have been suspended.

According to a recent report by Audit Scotland, NHS Tayside must make £205.8m of savings over the next five years and has overspent in areas such as workforce costs, prescribing and clinical supplies.

In this financial year, Audit Scotland noted that the board planned to make efficiency savings of £45.8m, with another £4m needed in Government loans.

The watchdog also stated there was a “high risk” that NHS Tayside would not achieve its financial plans for this year.

An official NHS Tayside board paper has now added weight to fears that this year’s targets will not be met.

The “corporate financial report”, which covers the period until September 30 this year, reports an overspend of £6.4m in this period.

Pay and prescribing costs are again responsible for the cost overruns, with “other factors” impacting on pay such as delayed discharges, bed capacity and medical rotas.

The deficit forecast contained in the document stands at £5.7m, although this is down from the £13.3m flagged up earlier in the year.

Earlier this month, the board put on hold all planned, non-urgent operations for three weeks over the festive period.

A separate NHS Tayside minute from August also stated: “Despite closing 60 beds there had still been an increase in agency costs of 16% and bank nursing costs had also increased. No adequate explanation had been given on these costs continuing to rise.”

Briggs said: “Times are tough for all health boards, but there seems to be a particular problem at the heart of NHS Tayside.

“It’s time the Scottish Government looked again at whether it is providing the support NHS Tayside clearly needs to turn this situation around.”

Scottish Labour health spokesperson Anas Sarwar said: “NHS Tayside is in a complete shambles and the circus appears to be continuing.

“This is bad enough anywhere in Scotland, but for this car crash to be happening in the Health Secretary’s own backyard is frankly embarrassing.

“Patients and staff in Tayside deserve better. It is time for Shona Robison to own up to the fact that she is incapable of sorting this sorry mess and stand down.”

NHS Tayside Chief Executive Lesley McLay said, “NHS Tayside is continuing to respond to the challenges of continuing to deliver high-quality, safe and effective healthcare to our population, while redesigning our services so they are fit for the future.

“The Board approved a Financial Plan in March 2017 that required efficiency savings of £45.8m. Recognising further pressures that have emerged during the year the Board is presently £1.7m short of this target with £0.3m of the current programme identified as being high risk. While there is no doubt that there is a demanding programme of work to be delivered in 2017-18, our actions to date show we are moving towards a more sustainable future.”