Three Scottish health trusts are more than �13m in the red despite financial help from the Scottish Executive, according to a report.

The three trusts are Grampian University Hospitals, Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals and Argyll and Clyde Acute Hospitals Trusts.

An Audit Scotland report revealed the trusts ran up the deficits totalling �13.2m in the financial year 2001/02.

It said the picture would have been even worse if the executive had not provided �90m extra funding.

This is no way to run the NHS Nicola Sturgeon SNP health spokeswoman

Audit Scotland also warned that the Grampian and Argyll and Clyde Trusts, as well as the Lothian University Hospitals Trust, may fail to meet their financial targets for 2002/03.

Scotland's Auditor General Robert Black said: "While the 2001/02 financial situation of most trusts improved over the previous year, this is at least partly thanks to the additional �90m which the executive provided.

"Without that additional funding, simply based on figures in the accounts, another 12 trusts would have found it difficult to break even during 2001/02."

Mr Black also warned that the additional �2.7bn being ploughed into the NHS in Scotland over the next three years may not help many trusts balance their books.

"Underlying financial pressures remain and need to be addressed," he said.

Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm welcomed the report and said the additional cash being invested in the NHS would lead to significant improvements.

Patient care

He added: "I expect NHS boards to manage the financial position across the board area.

"Frontline patient care is paramount and any adjustments in priorities, should these be required to remain within budget, must not impact on patient care."

But the Scottish National Party said the figures showed that trusts are living a hand to mouth existence.

Health spokeswoman Nicola Sturgeon said: "This is no way to run the NHS in Scotland - it is short-termism and does not improve patient care in the long run.

"But above all it begs the question if Labour really is investing in the NHS, why are so many trusts on the edge of deficit?"