LOCAL health chiefs are to demand more cash from the Government as they bid to ease a large financial shortfall.

Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust is expected to be £2.4 million in the red at the end of the financial year while Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust will be £1.6 million short.

Chiefs from both organisations will call for extra funds from the NHS regional office in order to keep their heads above water for the coming months.

They are also hoping for a boost from the additional £1 billion pledged by the Chancellor, Gordon Brown in last week's pre-budget statement.

PCT chief executive David Jordison has said that he cannot guarantee that services will not suffer in the bid to balance the books, though it aims to continue making improvements.

Staff and the public will be involved in attempting to improve the financial situation, he added.

The PCT's problems stem from a variety of sources, in particular GP's prescribing costs.

This includes £1 million used to meet the Government's national service framework, which is designed to ensure an equal quality of service for all patients across the county.

A major difficulty for the hospitals trust is 'bed blocking' -- where patients are forced to spend more time in hospital because they have nowhere else to go.

This has forced some operations to be switched to evenings and weekends, increasing staff costs.

The trust's chief executive, Ian Cumming, told the trust board last week: "We need to stop unnecessary expenditure but let's not over-react. I think we can find a way through."

Trust chiefs also say the deficit level should be put in context as their organisation spends £3 million each week.