NHS Tayside needed a £14.2 million Scottish Government bailout to break even this year the third time on a bounce it has taken such a loan.
On top of the outstanding debt, the cash-strapped health board must make cuts of £27 million in the coming year. But it is already massively behind, having racked up a £4.5 million overspend in the first few months.
Despite this, Health Secretary Shona Robison, also the MSP for Dundee City East, insisted the board would not be put under special measures.
She said: “The Scottish Government takes the publication of reports from the Auditor General for Scotland very seriously. We welcome the additional level of oversight and scrutiny, in addition to our own, and continue to work with the health boards concerned to address the issues raised.”
NHS Tayside chief executive Lesley McLay said: “NHS Tayside has a strong track record in delivering high-quality healthcare within budget over the past 14 years. However, similar to other public sector organisations, we are facing challenges due to increasing demands on our services. This demand is due to a number of pressures, including caring for an ageing population, increases in prescribing costs and higher staffing costs, particularly in some of our specialist service areas.”
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