Nurses are in the front line at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, part of a trust which has gained only one star under the Government's rating system.

Nowhere is this more so than in the accident and emergency department, which is one of the busiest in Britain.

Naturally nurses, when interviewed by The Argus, were demoralised by the poor rating, which they feel does not reflect the effort they put in each day and night.

Some of the problems are not really of their making, such as the struggle to find beds for those who need treatment after passing through the department.

The star ratings system does not reflect the complexity of dealing with patients who need urgent help in a stressful atmosphere.

But the system does indicate where attention is needed.

No one is to blame but a real team effort is needed to effect improvements.