The chief executive of the only Sussex hospital applying for foundation status has defended the controversial bid.

The Queen Victoria Hospital, in East Grinstead, is one of 25 hospitals in England and Wales hoping to secure the new status.

MPs yesterday voted in favour of the controversial proposal, although the Government's majority slumped to an all-time low of 17.

Chief executive Jan Bergman said: "We are happy with the result.

"There's still lots of hard work to do but hopefully this should mean we will be one of the first in the country to get foundation status.

"We should be striving to be amongst the best hospitals in the world and this is a way of doing that."

Foundation hospitals would opt out of Government control becoming independent, not-for-profit organisations.

They would have greater control over their own management and even have powers to borrow money on the open market.

A board of stakeholders, drawn from the local community, would hold the hospitals to account.

Critics think the move would create a two-tier system so that better hospitals acquiring foundation status would thrive and others would fall by the wayside.

Mr Bergman, however, thinks patients would benefit. He said: "They would firstly benefit because they would be involved in the decision making process by sitting on the board.

"Secondly, it would mean foundation hospitals have more freedom so they can develop services more rapidly and effectively leading to a better service for patients.

"It is not privatisation because the hospitals would still be part of the NHS and as far as the two-tier argument goes, hospitals offer different standards of service anyway."

Mid Sussex MP Nicholas Soames, whose constituency covers East Grinstead, joined the rest of Sussex's Tory MPs, as well as Lewes Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker, in voting against the proposals.

Other Sussex Labour MPs, including Brighton Pavilion MP David Lepper, Hove MP Ivor Caplin and Crawley MP Laura Moffatt toed the party line and voted in favour.

However, Brighton Kemp Town's Labour MP Des Turner was one of 62 MPs voting against the plans.