Patients across Sussex have told hospitals they could do better when it comes to care and treatment.

The county's three main hospital trusts were all given an average score when in the latest national inpatient survey carried out by the Care Quality Commission.

A sample of patients who had an overnight stay in hospital at some point between September and January this year were asked wide range of questions.

These includes experiences in A&E before being admitted, how long they waited for beds, whether they were treated with dignity and whether they were given privacy.

They were also asked about the cleanliness of wards, what the food was like and whether doctors and nurses explained things in a way that was easy to understand.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust and East Sussex Hospitals NHS scored between seven and ten in most categories, in line with similar trusts around the country.

All three trusts showed slight improvements in categories including the patient's experience when leaving hospital and their overall views and experiences during their stay.

A spokesman for Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals said: “Throughout the year we continuously ask patients and their families for feedback to help us better understand what matters to them and we use this information to help us plan, redesign and improve our services.

“It is encouraging that the findings of the survey show some improvements on the previous year.

“However, scoring in the ‘about the same’ as the majority category for most of the questions tells us we have more to do.”

East Sussex Healthcare director of nursing Alice Webster said: “The trust is committed to creating a more patient centred service so understanding the patient experience is crucial to us.

“It is important for us to listen to patients and taking their views seriously.

“The survey showed areas that have improved from the previous survey.

“However, we are not complacent and acknowledge that there are areas where improvements can be made.

“We want everyone who comes under our care to feel they are given the best possible service and we will continue to work hard towards achieving this goal.”

The full results can be found at www.cqc.org.uk.