THE cost of containing swine flu last year cost North-East and North Yorkshire health authorities more than £4.3m.

There are fears that this could result in spending cut-backs and a reduction in services during the current financial year.

The figure was revealed after a Freedom of Information request to all 107 English primary care trusts by the medical magazine GP.

The trusts were asked: "How much does the PCT estimate management of the pandemic cost it in 2009-10? How will any shortfall be recouped in 2010-11?"

Five PCTS outside the North-East acknowledged that cuts would have to be made to claw back the cost of containing swine flu.

In our region only North Yorkshire and York PCT would comment on how the cost had been met.

NHS North Yorkshire and York was one of 25 English PCTS that said that costs had been managed during 2009-10 using contingency funds, cash set aside for unforseen events. The Yorkshire trust was the only regional PCT to make this statement.

Elsewhere in the region the other PCTs restricted their comments to giving an estimated pandemic cost during 2009-10.

The estimated costs were: Hartlepool (£286,000), Middlesbrough (£286,000), Newcastle (£266,667), Gateshead (£600,000), North Tyneside (£266,667), North Yorkshire and York (£657,000) Northumberland Care Trust (£266,667), Redcar and Cleveland (£286,000), South Tyneside (£600,000), Stockton (£286,000) and Sunderland (£600,000).

Dr Richard Vautrey, deputy chairman of the British Medical Associations GP Committee told GP magazine that he believed that the cost of fighting swine flu should be met centrally and not by individual trusts.

A spokeswoman for NHS County Durham and Darlington said: £We have no record of such a request being made. We do normally acknowledge and respond to every FoI request.£