NHS Harrow has hacked £12m out of its budget but fears are growing over a £32m hole that still remains.
The organisation, formerly Harrow PCT, admitted in January its financial position is “probably” the worst in London and is trying desperately to claw back money from next year's spending plans.
Bosses are expecting to overrun by £16.8m this year and if they cannot balance the books by 2013, when NHS Harrow will be abolished, the debt will be passed to newly-created GPs consortia.
Out of hours services and walk-in centres are likely to be targets with question marks hanging over the borough's landmark polyclinics.
Arif Kamal, a non-executive director of the PCT, questioned in January how realistic it was for the organisation to find further cuts in the short space of time before April, it has emerged.
Mark Easton, chief executive of NHS Harrow, said: “All NHS organisations have to identify at least four per cent efficiency, the £12m we have so far identified amounts to 3.5 per cent of the budget.
“Harrow has to go further than this because we have to eliminate our deficit.
“The plans we are developing are about improving efficiencies in service provision and moving to more effective spend on health. “We shall continue to develop plans to leave a financially balanced position for GP commissioners to take over when the PCT is abolished.”
Bosses have tried to compare the organisation to NHS Brent in an effort to establish why its been hit so hard financially.
They found NHS Brent picked up on unexpected costs in certain areas earlier and devised a recovery plan.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here