A major North-East hospital trust is shedding jobs in a bid to finish the financial year in the black.

More than 100 jobs have already disappeared at the County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, it was revealed today. More are expected to follow.

The sprawling 1,000-bed trust is not replacing staff who leave as part of efforts to break-even.

The latest forecast suggests that the trust will probably finish the financial year £2.5m in the red.

As part of a package of efforts to reduce spending the trust, which runs hospitals in Darlington, Bishop Auckland, Durham and Shotley Bridge has been trying to reduce staffing costs.

Today (WEDS) the trust board will be told that 132 posts out of a target of 150 have already been removed from the pay roll and efforts are continuing to meet the full 'workforce reduction' total.

Trust papers reveal that a vacancy freeze is being applied to departments which have failed to meet cost reduction targets.

Sue Jacques, director of finance for the trust, has warned the board "the financial challenge remains significant and the delivery of the financial recovery plan is essential."

As part of the cost-cutting scheme officials from the County Durham trust will compare notes with colleagues at the highly efficient Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust in a bid to find new ways of reducing operational costs.

The board has been warned that unexpectedly high fuel costs which could add as much as £700,000 to this year's bill could also have an impact on the bottom line.

From February next year the trust will introduce a total ban on non-qualified agency nurses as part of efforts to reduce the cost of temporary staff.

A new computerised nurse rostering system is being tried out on four wards to try to improve efficiency.