Withybush General Hospital is one of the trust's main sites

Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust, which faces a �2.4m shortfall next year, is in debt and has been told it must make repayments until 2009.

Acting chief executive Mary Hodgeon said six of 19 proposed cuts were rejected on grounds of patient safety.

Geoff Wright, of the local community health council (CHC), said there was bound to be an effect on care.

I'm not one who asks for the moon and sixpence to fund madcap schemes, but I do think basic services need to be protected Geoff Wright, community health council

A report in July issued jointly with the local health board (LHB) warned of the problems facing the trust.

Mr Wright said proposals for this year included cutting operating theatre use rates, and high dependency beds.

He complained that there was no long-term financial planning.

"We think there are other areas of cuts or savings that could be made in administrative areas rather than patient areas," said Mr Wright.

"The patients would find it easier to understand if there was some longer term strategy in terms of what is required and what is required to fund it.

Challenging

"I'm not one who asks for the moon and sixpence to fund madcap schemes but I do think basic services need to be protected patients have a right to expect them."

But Mrs Hodgeon said: "I can absolutely assure people that no urgent or emergency patients will be affected.

We perform very well in many areas but we can always learn from other trusts Mary Hodgeon, health trust

"The sessions we are targeting are where we know where in the past we haven't been using them effectively. We are trying to ask clinicians to work differently."

Mrs Hodgeon said the trust was in the third year of an agreed repayment plan for debt accumulated in years gone by.

She agreed with Mr Wright that cuts should come from administration.

"Of the original �4.5m that we had to find we've actually found �2.5m, between the trust and the LHB, that had absolutely no impact on patient care. So there had been wastage in the system.

"Over the years, as you compare your services with other trusts, we perform very well in many areas, but we can always learn from other trusts."

Mrs Hodgeon said she hoped the proposed cuts would not have too much effect.

A Welsh Assembly Government spokeswoman said it acknowledged that the 2005-06 settlement for trusts was challenging and organisations had to work within limited budgets.

She added: "All NHS bodies, including trusts, must operate within their allocation, however, identifying priority work areas, considering how they might work more efficiently and looking to realise the savings to be achieved through closer co-operation and collaboration between organisations."