BARNSLEY Hospital has made annual savings of almost £6.5m in the first year of its turnaround plan to get the hospital out of the red.

Chief executive Diane Wake said this figure was £117,000 more than expected, putting the trust £205,000 ahead of plan in total.

Ms Wake said: "This has been a most challenging year for the trust but amid financial and governance issues it has remained focused on what it does best; care for patients."

** The full story appears in the Barnsley Chronicle newspaper, dated May 15. **