Campaigners battling to stop a breast cancer unit being moved out of Brighton claim the decision has already been made.

Jean Nehls, co-chairman of the Friends of the Nigel Porter Unit, said: "I really feel the proposal will go ahead despite our protests."

The campaigners say a decision to leave two key positions at the unit vacant for months while a project manager for breast cancer services has been appointed to plan for a new unit elsewhere confirms their fears.

Judith Boniface, the project manager employed by Brighton Health Care NHS Trust and Mid Sussex NHS Trust three weeks ago, said she had no idea a campaign had been launched to fight the move.

Ms Boniface said: "I have been appointed to look at the move, to look at the creation of a new unit, and the facilities that will be needed.

"My role is looking at what a bigger unit would have to have within it, what the flow of patients through that unit would be. The separate issue is the consultation and that's not what my role is."

Asked if her appointment to look at the facilities for a new unit was premature when the consultation period had not yet finished, she said: "The services can't stay where they are, there's not enough space."

Mrs Nehls said: "Ms Boniface should have been appointed a year ago and learned what was going on and how people would feel.

"I think the trust in Brighton thinks the plan is settled."

Stuart Welling, chief executive of the Brighton Health Care NHS Trust, said there was a need to calculate what a new unit would need, irrespective of where it was created.

He said: "If we are going to have a new unit, we need to know what it needs in terms of space and how the unit is best going to work, irrespective of whether it was built at the Royal Sussex or Princess Royal."

"We needed to bring in someone who could focus their time purely on one particular issue."

Get friends and colleagues to sign The Argus's petition, which appeared in Tuesday's edition and can be found on the Local Issues section of thisisbrightonandhove.co.uk
Photocopy it if you need more space and send it to reporter Karen Hoy at the address below.

Write to the Chief Executive, West Sussex Health Authority, The Causeway, Goring, Worthing, West Sussex BN12 6BT:

Email comments to csprojadm@wsha.nhs.uk Write to The Friends of the Nigel Porter Unit, 23a Shirley Drive, Hove, BN3 6NQ:

Write to Karen Hoy, Newsroom, The Argus, Crowhurst Road, Hollingbury, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 8AR.

Comments must be in by Friday.