UNISON has called on Greater Manchester health trusts to help  Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust, as it struggles with a massive historic debt.

News that health bosses across the north west expect to bank a £230 million surplus at the end of this month, while Trafford General Hospital is forced to borrow money to pay wages, has sparked fierce criticism.

Nigel Flanagan, a regional officer for Unison, said: "We would agree that it is better for the NHS to be in surplus than in deficit, but these surpluses have been created by hard-working staff and there is a moral obligation to remove the risk of redundancies that those same people are now facing.

"We believe the NHS squeezed too hard when it feared financial problems and we want to see this money going into services."

Ashton, Leigh and Wigan, Salford and Oldham all expect to put money aside - but bosses say the savings show they are managing their budgets well and insist the cash is a tiny portion of their annual income.

Steve Sutcliffe of Oldham Primary Care Trust said: "Delivering a surplus is a crucial part of our strategy and essential for creating the capacity to invest in the future.

"We are proposing to further extend access to primary care services with the development of two new GP practices and a health centre."

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