Health bosses at Ipswich Hospital spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on photocopying costs in just over six months.

Since May 2017, the trust has paid leasing company BNP Paribas £422,239 to photocopy documents.

Bosses said they pay BNP Paribas quarterly to photocopy confidential information including drugs charts, safety check lists and patient medical records.

From May this year to December, three payments – the first of £140,803 and a further two totalling £281,526 – were made to the company.

A hospital spokesman said: “We are committed to spending NHS funds wisely and this arrangement gives us what is known as a total managed document solution.

“This includes how we share and manage documents across the trust, as well as scanning, photocopying and printing.

“Many of these documents are hugely important for patient safety and patient care, such as drug charts, safety check lists and patient information leaflets.

“The lease cost also includes the maintenance and upkeep of the (photocopying) machines in the hospital.”