EAST Lancashire's hospital authority will not be able to plug a financial black hole alone, its chief executive has warned.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust must get help from an NHS authority which oversees all healthcare in Lancashire if it is to make up the shortfall, Jo Cubbon said.

The trust has to spend £11.6million less in the next 12 months but even if this target was reached it would still spend another £11.7million over its expected budget.

The trust's human resources manager last week warned there was a "very real danger" of "significant job losses" if this gap cannot be met.

And today Mrs Cubbon said: "I don't think our organisation can deliver anything more than the £11.6 million."

Cumbria and Lancashire NHS Strategic Health Authority (SHA) is to collect surplus cash from primary care trusts, which organise and pay for healthcare, in the two counties.

This will then be held in reserve to bail out debt-ridden trusts.

Mrs Cubbon added: "We need that money back in this health economy to enable us to deliver system changes for the future."

Her comments come at the start of the new financial year which is set to be a crunch 12 months for NHS hospital trusts, which have run up deficits over the last 12 months totalling an estimated £700million.

The East Lancashire Trust last year pledged to save £7.5million but only managed £5.5million, with the rest coming via the SHA.

Its finance director, Stephen Brookfield, said the trust had clearly "struggled to deliver savings in the past".

He added: "We have to make sure these plans are clearly defined in the next four weeks."

Tim Ellis, Lancashire spokesman for Unison, the biggest union at the trust, said: "We support getting assistance from the SHA. The SHA most come up with monies because the trust has been financially hammered. Unless there is proper provision there is a clear danger to healthcare and health staff."