Patients have given hospitals a mixed report after assessing them on various standards.

Volunteers visited the county’s hospitals to check cleanliness, food, privacy and dignity and the condition and maintenance of buildings.

The checks are part of the Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment programme carried out at hospitals around the country.

Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust scored above average for all areas, with St Richard's Hospital in Chichester scoring a perfect 100% for its standards of cleanliness.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals scored well for food and cleanliness but was below average for standards of privacy and dignity and the condition and maintenance of its buildings.

It is hoped the planned £420m redevelopment of the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton will help improve scores in these areas as it involves the demolition of ageing buildings no longer suitable for 21st Century healthcare.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust also had above average scores for food and cleanliness but dipped below average for the other two sections.

Western Sussex Hospitals director of nursing and patient safety, Cathy Stone, said: “We all know how important it is to provide top-quality clinical treatment, but it is also essential to get the fundamentals right in terms of good food, cleanliness, and making people feel comfortable, and respected.

“We thank our teams for all of their hard work and we are continuing to invest in new facilities, talking to patients, visitors and staff about how we can provide the best possible environment and the best possible care.”

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals chief nurse Sherree Fagge said: “Patient feedback is extremely important to us and it is vital that we listen to and learn from the findings of this patient-led assessment.

“All of our staff work hard to maintain and improve services across the trust but it is clear from what patients have reported that in some areas we still have work to do.

“The privacy of our patients and the condition of our premises are priorities for the trust.

“Our aim is to give patients the best possible experience while they are in our care so we will use this feedback to further address the issues raised and to make improvements where necessary.”