Union attacks £42,000 tea bill

UNION bosses have blasted hospital chiefs for spending more than £40,000 on "tea and biscuits" while attempting to axe 350 staff.

Figures released yesterday by NHS Grampian revealed 42,000 was spent on tea, coffees and biscuits for visitors and meetings. GMB union regional organiser Janet Adams said: "It is particularly bad considering front-line staff are being threatened with having their hours cut."

But an NHS Grampian spokesman defended the figures, claiming they were "not excessive for an organisation of our size. Clearly this would only be a modest saving in the overall context".