A Sussex firm pulled out all the stops when it was told a ward in children's hospital could be closed overnight unless specialist doctors could be found to run it.

Every member of staff at Just Us, an agency which locates and places doctors in hospitals to cover in a crisis, stayed late into the night to find the right staff.

In the end, the doctors were found and the ward stayed open.

But it was not long ago most of the team at Worthing-based Just Us faced a crisis of their own.

Managing director Irene Lucas was running a similar agency for a firm in London. It was bought out by a rival which transferred the business to its own operations.

At the Worthing office, the seven members of staff had to re-apply for their jobs. None of them was successful and the entire workforce was made redundant.

Mrs Lucas said: "I was on holiday in Florida with my granddaughter when my son phoned and told me I wouldn't have a job when I got back.

"I was devastated. I'd worked for the firm for years and helped to set it up. I had good relationships with hospitals and doctors and couldn't really believe they wanted to get rid of me.

"A clause in the redundancy package meant I couldn't work in a similar role for a year.

"But when the year was up in May, I was still missing the job and that was when I set up Just Us.

"I was given a lot of help to get going, including really low rent on offices, and staff from the old agency wanted to join me.

"I was lucky. I couldn't contact old clients but word got round quickly I was starting up the new agency.

"Many of the clients remembered the friendly and efficient way the previous business was run and wanted to register with us.

"It wasn't easy, starting a business never is. but our reputation gave us a start."

Turnover has already reached £1.5 million and is expected to total £3 million for the first year.

The company has contracts with health authorities throughout the UK, supplying short-term staff to hospitals.

They include London hospitals Great Ormond Street, St Thomas's, The Cromwell and The Wellington.

Just Us has more than 500 doctors on its books.