AN MP has been promoted to a position in the Department of Health.

Brighton Kemptown MP Simon Kirby is to become Parliamentary Private Secretary to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Mr Kirby ran a successful campaign and petition calling for the release of £420m Treasury funding for the much-needed redevelopment of the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

Approval was finally given in May.

He is also vice chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on HIV/Aids, patron of the Sussex ME Society and a strong supporter of the Brighton-based Sussex Beacon.

The Sussex Beacon provides care and support for people with HIV/Aids.

Mr Kirby said: “The NHS is incredibly important to me, as it is to many of my constituents. That is why I was delighted to accept the offer to be part of the team assisting the Secretary of State, working hard to make the NHS even better for patients.

“I am absolutely committed to the founding principles of the NHS, namely that care is free at the point of use based on need, not on the ability to pay.

“I know from my campaign to improve the Royal Sussex that the Secretary of State shares this passion for the NHS and I look forward to working with him going forward to improve services for patients and staff alike.”