Epsom and St Helier hospitals' finances continue to improve with its deficit standing at £3m at the end of July.

In a presentation to Epsom and Ewell Council’s health liaison panel on Monday, Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of Epsom and St Helier hospitals trust, said that the year-to-date deficit figure at the end of July was £3million - just £200,000 behind its planned deficit of £2.8m. 

At the end of last financial year it had a deficit of £12.1m, down from a predicted £19.4m.

He said that the trust’s planned deficit for the end of this financial year is £7.4m and that it hopes to be in surplus by 2015-16.

The chief executive told the panel that the trust had met with representatives from Ashford and St Peter’s last week and that the two trusts are still in an "active dialogue" about working together, even though merger talks between that trust and Epsom Hospital failed in October last year.

Mr Hopkins also said that Epsom Hospital's cardiology and respiratory wards were currently being refurbished and would re-open at the start of October, meaning that there has been a "temporary reduction in bed capacity".