Debt hits British NHS trust

REDHILL, England, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- A deficit-plagued National Health Service trust is reportedly suspending all non-urgent surgery at one hospital and closing a waiting list at another.

The Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, facing a $122 million deficit, is expected to reduce 92 planned surgical procedures to 50, with overall treatment at hospitals decreasing by 25 percent for seven months -- until the end of the fiscal year, The Telegraph reported Wednesday.

The decision will affect thousands of patients who will have to travel to other cities for operations and consultations.

In addition, about 55,000 follow-up outpatient appointments are being eliminated, with local physicians picking up that work, the newspaper said.