Barking Havering and Redbridge NHS is �33 million in the red – the second highest amount of any Trust in the country.

The multimillion pound debt which has plagued the Trust since its inception rose almost �10 million on last year.

BHR, which runs Queen’s Hospital in Romford, was one of just nine Trusts in the country failing to break even in the 2010/2011 financial year.

The sky-high deficit was revealed in an Audit Commission report last Thursday, placing BHR just under South London NHS Trust which had a deficit of 41 million.

David Wragg, BHR Trust director of finance, said: “We are committed to continually improving patient care while tackling our financial issues. The care we offer to our patients is at the centre of everything we do and will always be our main priority.

“We are working hard to improve our financial position and are accelerating our efforts to cut temporary and agency staff costs and reducing patients’ length of stay. We are improving our efficiency year on year, but the Board and the organisation as a whole is determined to continue to invest strongly in front line services to ensure that people have the best possible experience in our hospitals.”

BHR’s deficit was almost �10 million more than last year, which came in at �22 million.

Its deficit for the 2008/09 financial year stood at �26.2million.

The Trust’s debt peaked in 2007/2008 with a �35 million deficit recorded.

The Audit Commission report said the overall performance of most health bodies in the country was good, with NHS organisations delivering a combined surplus of �1.5 billion.

Out of the 276 organisations, just nine (including BHR Trust) failed to balance their books.