THE NHS organisation responsible for making sure the right health services are available for a large part of Sussex is ending the financial year £20 million in the red.

Health bosses at Coastal West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) say they have experienced one of the most difficult years in their history.

The CCG will now work with regulator NHS England to find ways to balance the books.

The organisation plans and buys NHS health services for more than 505,000 people says it is facing “significant” financial pressures.

A combination of a number of factors, including increased demand for services and a challenging savings target have contributed to the problem.

The CCG has also had to invest in more services to ensure patients receive treatment within the national target of 18 weeks.

CCG clinical chief officer Katie Armstrong said: “We face the same challenges locally as the NHS does nationally.

“More people need our care than ever before and affording that is increasingly challenging.

“My priority as a GP and as clinical chief officer is to ensure all the people we serve receive high quality and safe care and that’s the same for the thousands of NHS staff who are caring for record numbers of patients.

“We know our patients, public and communities understand the very real pressures our local NHS is under and we remain confident that they will work with us to determine the best solutions in these very difficult times.”

CCG chairman Kieran Stigant said: “While the majority of our overspend has gone on treatment for patients, we have faced a range of significantly increased costs during the year, some of which have been beyond our control.

“I want to reassure patients none of the overspend has gone to fund the bureaucracy of the NHS system.

“In fact, the CCG will end the year with an underspend of more than half a million pounds against the budget for its own running costs.

“But the financial position that the CCG now faces is clearly unsustainable.

“We are working with our NHS partners and communities to plan for the changes we need in order to bring the position back into financial balance.

“In the long term, the solution lies in a health system where there is a greater emphasis on helping to keep people well and providing care at home and in the community, relieving the pressures on our hospitals.”

Horsham and Mid Sussex and Crawley CCGs are also forecasting a deficit of £24m between them.

An update on the financial performance of Brighton and Hove CCG is due to be heard at a meeting at Hove town hall this afternoon.