As hospitals struggle to balance their books at the end of the financial year, patients are being turned away from basic operations.
The Times reported that NHS trusts are making sweeping cuts across the country in a hurried attempt to address their debt problems before the end of March.
Last year the NHS reported a net deficit of ₤512m.
The cutbacks include instructions for family doctors to send fewer patients to hospital and A&E departments to see fewer people. A wide range of routine procedures have also been suspended.
Other measures also see staff being offered voluntary redundancy, such as the Devon Primary Care Trust, which has offered voluntary redundancy to 5000 staff.
According to The Times, the most comprehensive cuts come from the North Yorkshire and York Primary care Trust, which has a deficit of ₤24m.
Further reading
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