MORE jobs are being created at the Royal Bolton Hospital in a move to cut expensive spending on temporary and stand-in nurses, as hospital bosses admit they are £3 million behind budget.

At least 48 full-time posts are to be created following a review of staffing levels.

Hospital bosses say they will try to recruit as many nurses as possible from the local area -- despite flying to India this week to bring back 20 new nursing staff.

A major review tackled hospital managers who have overspent their budget on stand-in nurses by £1.7 million for two years running.

Ward managers are being told that they will be severely reprimanded if they spend more than five per cent of their budget on agency nursing staff.

The hospital admits it is a risk of spending £868,000 on funding the extra nursing posts, but says it will save on costly payments to agencies.

Tighter controls have been introduced as the Royal Bolton Hospital finance director, Beverly Peacock, revealed that nursing pay is putting considerable pressure on the hospital budget.

Wards housing medical and elderly patients will get 28 more staff, general surgery wards 12 more nurses and support staff, and eight more staff will be recruited for specialist surgery.

The hospital predicts a £3.2 million shortfall by the end of the year and they believe that creating full-time nursing jobs will stop spending on costly "bank" and agency staff.

Bolton has a legacy of overspending on its temporary stand-in nurses who cover for sickness absence, and during busy periods at the Minerva Road site.

The hospital has come under fire from independent advisers, the Commission for Health Improvement, for having low staffing levels.

Finance chief Mrs Peacock said the review highlighted wards which are understaffed.

She added: "It will not happen overnight and improvements may not be felt for sometime."

Chairman Peter Liptrott defended the overspending by hospital staff saying: "Overspending is, in fact, underfunding."