Hospital trust bosses in Airedale have pledged to go it alone to claw back a £5 million debt, rather than call in a Government hit squad.

Janet Crouch, acting chief executive of Airedale NHS Trust, told the trust meeting they would battle through the recovery plan in-house. "We are not calling on a hit squad to help. We are confident we can pull it off," she said. "It is going to take more than a year to resolve the financial issue and that has to be our main focus before we re-apply for Foundation Hospital status," she said.

Airedale was due to become a Foundation hospital in the autumn but is no longer to gain the status at present because of its financial difficulties.

Mrs Crouch said the trust would continue to maintain links with the people who had registered an interest to be Foundation board members.

"A more realistic timetable would be April 2007 and we are working towards that, providing the financial situation is resolved," she added.

She praised the accident and emergency department which had won a £100,000 windfall from Whitehall health bosses for dealing with patients quicker.

The trust has set in motion a series of money-spinning schemes to help get back in the black.

It is employing another orthopaedic surgeon and anaesthetist to earn extra cash by treating more patients.

Finance bosses reckon there is the opportunity to earn £1.4 million over the next four years.

The savings plan also involves making 25 people redundant through natural wastage and the axing of a surgical ward, as well as not re-opening a refurbished ward.

It has also identified £2.5 million worth of savings which can be made.