SPIRALLING ENERGY prices are set to hit NHS Tayside with £1 million of additional costs.

An extra £500,000 was set aside in the last budget to cover anticipated increases in electricity and fuel.

However, in the five months to August there has already been an over-spend of more than £300,000.

NHS Tayside is preparing for a huge energy bill— potentially £1.5 million with an anticipated 90% rise in electricity prices.

In recent years health boards across Scotland came together to negotiate what were attractive prices for all health service establishments.

Prices are in place until autumn. Negotiations are ongoing at a national level to determine future prices.

However NHS chiefs are not hopeful and significant increases in costs—in particular electricity costs—are anticipated.

At a meeting of NHS Tayside’s delivery unit committee yesterday, members admitted the energy budget for 2008/09 would come under significant pressure.

Director of finance Colin Masson said the energy- saving message was being put to staff.

“We have been trying to impress upon our staff simple messages such as turning off lights when they are not needed,” he said.

“One of our greatest consumptions of energy arises from the use of major equipment in our hospitals.

“We have asked staff to consider whether it is required to have this equipment ‘burning’ over 24 hours.”

Despite the measures, NHS Tayside vice-chairman Murray Petrie warned that difficult times are ahead.

“The measures that we have been talking about here will not make a huge difference,” he said.

Referring to Murray Royal Hospital, where the meeting was held, he said, “We are in the process of creating new buildings here that will include many ways of conserving energy.

“However, we also inhabit Edwardian buildings and also ’60s buildings, built when energy was cheap.

“There will be hard times over the next few years.

“I think we have a real problem coming.”