Operations at hospitals in the Worthing area will be co-ordinated to cut the number of cancellations.

Worthing and Southlands Hospitals Trust has appointed surgical planning co-ordinator Phillip Taylor to improve communication between wards and departments in the trust's two hospitals.

This could make planned operations less likely to be cancelled when there is an unexpected rise in patients needing emergency treatment.

An average of 700 patients go to the hospitals for non-emergency operations each month.

Mr Taylor said: "Although the number of operations cancelled is very small, it does cause considerable distress to patients.

"Also, when we are working so hard to cut waiting lists, it is important that we are as efficient as possible."