HEALTH bosses in Glasgow have ordered cuts of £42million, it emerged today.

HEALTH bosses in Glasgow have ordered cuts of £42million, it emerged today.

Finance director Douglas Griffin claims the drastic measure is needed as the SNP Government's NHS funding for 2008/9 is "significantly lower" than in previous years.

In a letter to senior officials he says NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde faces a "substantial financial challenge in developing a deliverable financial plan".

Mr Griffin says that following "higher-than-anticipated UK pay settlements, our financial position is even more difficult and we must generate a plan capable of releasing more than £42m through cost savings and associated initiatives".

He blames the cut on "the scale of reduction in our anticipated general funding" along with the wage deal pressures.

Today, Labour's health spokeswoman and Baillieston MSP Margaret Curran was "horrified" by the cuts.

She added: "Nicola Sturgeon will not want to be remembered as the minister for health cuts, but this is the first sign the SNP's decision to put less money than Labour into health is starting to have an impact on services.

"It is completely unacceptable for the SNP to expect the health service to impose millions of pounds in cuts, which will have a damaging impact throughout the whole of the city."

She added that the SNP "should find extra money to protect vital services".

However, a Government spokeswoman said: "All NHS boards have been asked to make 2% efficiency savings each year for the next three years.

"The boards retain the savings to be invested in frontline services - and that's what is happening in Greater Glasgow."

A health board spokesman said: "We will achieve our savings from restructuring parts of our business and identifying efficiencies that will not impact on patient care to achieve the 2% savings target."