EXCLUSIVE by Mike Laycock

Hunger striker Barry Horne's controversial stay at York District Hospital cost the York NHS Trust more than £11,000.

Flashback: Barry Horne smiles as he waves to supporters huddled outside from his room at York District Hospital

And cash-strapped health chiefs are confident so far of recovering only £1,800 - from Horne's home health authority.

But the trust is consulting with the NHS Executive to discover whether other elements of the costs can be recovered from any other source. If not, the money will have to come from York's hard-pressed health budget.

"I think people will be furious," Ryedale MP John Greenway said today after receiving details of the bill from the trust's chief executive Dr Peter Kennedy.

"People are finding out how much the cost is to society when others choose to exercise their civil rights."

The bill for Horne's 27-day stay includes £5,400 for 27 days on an NHS ward, of which £1,800 can be recovered, £3,948 for security measures as Horne's supporters gathered outside the hospital and £488 for special signs erected during the controversy.

Ancillary staff overtime cost another £851, there was a £98 bill for catering for prison officers attending Horne and there was another £207 for a special mattress.

Trust chief executive Dr Peter Kennedy says the bill does not include the costs incurred by the trust's PR company, and also substantial managerial time including weekends and evenings.

The trust indicated during the hunger strike that it would seek to recover costs from the Home Office, but deputy chief executive George Wood said today it was by no means clear whether any of the costs could be recovered.

A major security alert was imposed during Horne's stay, particularly after supporters climbed on the roof of a hospital building in support of the hunger striker.

Horne, who last week lost his appeal against a conviction for firebombing properties, was sent to the hospital from Full Sutton Jail as concern mounted about his deteriorating condition.

But he was eventually sent back to the prison after the trust said his stay was causing unacceptable disruption.

Lara Saunders, one of Horne's supporters who took part in the hospital vigil, said today the security bill was "way over the top."

She said that the hospital should have communicated with protesters rather than taking such "paranoid security measures".

see COMMENT 'Footing bill for hunger strike'

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