WEST Sussex would be the best place in the country to retire if only it had more healthcare workers, according to new research.

The county has come second in a new index of counties in England and Wales measuring to the extent to which pensioners there can enjoy a happy and healthy retirement.

It found West Sussex was the fourth most popular destination for retirees moving home, and pensioners had the third highest retirement income in the country.

A spokesman for Prudential, which carried out the research, added: "The county only missed out on the top spot as a result of its national ranking of 52 out 55 for provision of healthcare workers."

It meant that the county was pipped to the post by fellow coastal county Dorset, and tied in second place with Herefordshire.

East Sussex ranked joint fifth with the Isle of Wight, while fourth position went to Devon.

The Quality of Retirement Index assessed counties against seven criteria: access to healthcare, crime levels, pensioner incomes, the weather, life expectancy, how many pensioners already lived in a particular area and how many were moving into the county.

Prudential said East Sussex owed its top five place to being the only county to rank in the national top 30 in all seven of indicators.

It added Dorset topped the rankings for quality of retirement owing to its "all-round appeal".

Dorset ranked in the top 10 in four of the seven indicators, including being the sixth most popular destination for retirees moving home and having the country's third highest concentration of people over the age of 65.

Vince Smith-Hughes, a retirement income expert at Prudential, said: “Our analysis shows that every part of the country has something different to offer when the time comes to give up work, but of course for many it simply isn’t possible to up sticks and move somewhere new when they retire.

“Irrespective of where you live, if you are looking to secure a comfortable life in retirement it is vital to plan ahead. Many people will benefit from regular consultations with a professional financial adviser as they prepare for retired life."