Refreshments have been banned to help reduce hospital debts

The chief executive of Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust, Geraint Martin, ordered the move to try and cut the trust's debts which have reached �1.8m.

In a memo to hospital staff Mr Martin said the practice of buying refreshments for meetings, which cost over �50,000 in 2002, had been suspended.

The ban on refreshments, which was to be reviewed on a six-monthly basis, is just one measure introduced to reduce the hospital's debts.

'Extreme measures'

The memo stated: "The practice of managers being able to order sandwiches, biscuits etc for meetings from their departmental budgets, is now suspended until further notification.

"A number of cost-saving measures are being progressed as part of the trust with the aim of reducing costs without affecting direct patient care.

"I appreciate that this will appear to some as an extreme measure but the financial position is such that savings have to be realised in order to meet our statutory financial obligations."

The hospital said the overspend had occurred as it attempted to meet government targets and expand its services.

Refreshments restricted

Mr Martin said in a statement: "The trust is currently overspending on its budget and unless further cost savings are made is likely to have a position at April 2004 of a �2m overspend."

He added: "We are planning to address the deficit by making cost savings, where possible, across the trust and by transferring money into our day-to-day spending account from capital resources.

"Cost savings are being made at all levels and one of these has been the restriction in the provision of refreshments for in-house meetings.

"These meetings include early morning, lunch time and evening meetings where some of our 2,800 staff may be forced to give up their own time to iron out a pressing issue.