A hospital trust boss praised her team’s achievements during a ‘difficult year’ - but has warned of further financial pain.

Sam Jones, Chief Executive of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, admitted at the trust’s AGM that the organisation had "gone through some pain" and it was now "playing catch up".

But she picked out big achievements in the past 12 months, including the opening of the Bluebell and Winyard wards at Watford Hospital

Ms Jones said: "We have performed well against the vast majority of the standards by which the Government measures hospitals, including the time it takes for people to be treated, admitted or discharged in our A&E.

"We have invested an extra £9 million in improving patient safety, including an additional £4 million to recruit 160 new nurses. 

"We have also seen a twenty percent reduction in our mortality rates and have cut the number of cases of C. difficile by almost half.

"More than £16 million has been invested to upgrade our wards, clinics and other areas, and £600,000 has been spent on modernising our operating theatres.

"And I can honestly say that of all the things I have done in my career, the opening of the Bluebell and Winyard wards is one of the best - I get goose pimples when I hear the stories from those wards."

But it was revealed the trust recorded a £13.4 million deficit against an originally planned £600,000 surplus in 2013/14.

Ms Jones warned the financial situation is likely to get worse before it got better with a £14m loss predicted next year.

She said: "It has been a challenging year and we still need to make improvements to ensure our patients receive the best possible care.  

"We also face a significant financial challenge and need to do all we can to ensure we spend taxpayer’s money wisely."

Don Richards, the trust’s chief financial officer, said the increased demand on emergency care meant more spending on agency staff.

He also pointed to the investment made on new staff, equipment and an upcoming £25.6m overhaul of the trust’s IT system.

Ms Jones admitted she had "under-estimated" the impact caused by a new leadership team and said the trust was "playing catch up".

She said: "We didn’t fully appreciate the impact of the changing the board and the day-to-day running of the hospitals, as it has slowed people down as new people have different ways of working.

"We also didn’t invest in our infrastructure early enough so, in truth, we are now playing catch up and working in the dark."