Health trusts across the country released bombshell new data showing the huge shortfall last night as pressure builds on services.
Hospitals are having to deal with unprecedented demand but have actually slashed 15,000 beds in just six years to cut costs, another new report has revealed.
The 10% fall in beds has left doctors and nurses fighting a battle on two fronts as they struggle to give patients the care they require and balance the books at the same time.
An ageing population and the pressures of immigration and the social care crisis also mean demand is through the roof.
Hospitals have also had to deal with the extra strain from regular outbreaks of Norovirus over the winter.
And it means health chiefs are having to plough more cash into trusts to meet the public’s needs.
The projected overspend for the year is now more than £300million more than initially feared.
The British Medical Association also said in a report that hospitals are having to cancel vital life-saving operations at the last minute or send patients home before they were fully recovered.
Britain is also lagging behind the rest of Europe.
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