Health workers who regularly travel between hospital sites during their shifts are being urged to take the bus instead of their car.

The aim is to cut the amount of time staff spend trying to find car Parking spaces at hospitals in Brighton.

A special service will operate five days a week between Royal Sussex County Hospital in Eastern Road and Brighton General in Elm Grove.

Workers travelling to and from the Royal Sussex and the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children in Dyke Road can go free on the 7/7A buses that link the two hospitals.

Lee Soden, director of facilities for Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust said: "These schemes will help staff who must travel between hospitals to see patients during the busiest times.

"If you are rushing to a clinic at another hospital and you have to find somewhere to park, it can entail wasting large amounts of time trying to find a space.

"This will reduce staff frustration and give them more time with patients."

Hospital workers are supporting the schemes, which are due to start next week.

Pat Grant, chairman of the staff side of the trust council, said: "We welcome these attempts to solve the problems.

"Parking difficulties currently cause great stress to staff, who already work in very stressful jobs.

"This has a direct impact on morale and we hope everyone will take advantage of these new schemes."

Another worker, who did not want to be named, said: "It sounds a good idea in principle but I'm not certain about the bus.

"It might cause problems if you have got to carry things. However, we will give it a try and see what happens."

Both schemes will be available between 6.15am and 6.15pm, Monday to Friday.

The service between Brighton General and the Royal Sussex will run three times an hour while the7/7A routes run every six minutes.

The Argus reported last month the Royal Sussex was facing severe car parking problems because it has lost 100 spaces in its car park for at least 18 months while a specialist kidney centre is built.

Forty more have been permanently lost at the Sussex Eye Hospital opposite the Royal Sussex because of a new education centre being set up there.

Other schemes considered to ease parking problems have included a park-and-ride system using Brighton Racecourse.