FINANCE: University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire Trust was running at a £5.4m year to date deficit at the end of January, with its cost improvement plan £7m behind schedule.

The deficit is £200,000 more than a month earlier. It would have been worse but income has been £6.4m better than expected due to high volumes of work.

The trust’s February finance report said: “The month ten position is a deficit of £5.4m which is in line with what was anticipated”.

The report said: “The main reason for theadverse variance is clinical divisions are over spent by £9.3m.”

Non-elective activity was 3.7 per cent over plan, with day-cases 2.3 per cent over, and

This was partly offset by underspends in non-clinical divisions worth £4.5m.