WARNINGS have been sounded over the need to plug a £14m gap in health spending in Stockton and Hartlepool.

And the cost-cutting may have an impact on those who suffer with illnesses such as tonsillitis.

Members of Stockton Council’s health and wellbeing board were offered stark figures on the prospects for health funding in both towns.

Graeme Niven, chief finance officer for Hartlepool and Stockton CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group), told councillors about the “efficiency programmes” in place to try and balance its accounts.

Mr Niven said: “Under this assumption the gap for Hartlepool and Stockton CCG is just under £14m – that means we have got to identify efficiencies of £14m to balance the books for 2018/19.”

Hartlepool and Stockton CCG has a budget of £461m and if it spends any more, sanctions are imposed.

Mr Niven said the “continuing health care” of looking after people in nursing homes and those with long-term health conditions was a “big risk” to the CCG with costs having “grown by 20 per cent” in the past year.

And he explained how primary care costs were continuing to rise as an ageing and growing population created more demand.

Clinical Commissioning Groups are funded from a central pot of money controlled by NHS England.

An extra £2bn was pledged to the central pot by the government last year – something which brought Hartlepool and Stockton CCG an extra £3.3m.

However, Mr Niven said this money had come with extra conditions attached.

“It looks a good news story and it was more funding than we were expecting,” he added.

“But there was a number of caveats – we had to grow our activity in certain sectors, make sure we invested in mental health and certain parts of primary care.

“So although it looked like we were receiving additional funding we were actually getting additional asks.”

Cllr Dianne Hewitt asked what the consequences would be for patients.

Mr Niven said there were certain operations which “did not add value” – giving the example of tonsillectomies and tightening up the criteria on performing operations.

For example, a patient would have to suffer tonsillitis four or five times before they would be considered for such a procedure.

He added: “We are trying to manage those minor procedures because staff are better off treating cancer and COPD.”

Cllr Sonia Bailey asked whether campaigns advising people to buy medication over the counter had worked.

Mr Niven said: “I know it is driving efficiency. We spend £1.4m on paracetemol – there’s a lot of resources for cancer patients that could buy.

“It’s more cost effective for people to buy them over the counter.”