A hospital wants to recruit 60 more Filipino nurses despite a threat that its current contingent would be sent home in disgrace.

Nurses at Worthing and Southlands hospitals were outraged yesterday when more than 60 Filipino nurses were told of the accusations in a letter from matron Rosemary Cranna.

Now the hospitals have revealed they are trying to recruit more staff from the Philippines, and there are fears the letter will put off potential recruits.

A ward sister from Worthing Hospital is currently in the Philippines trying to recruit 60 nurses.

The 60 Filipino nurses already employed at Worthing and Southlands, Shoreham, were outraged to receive a letter from Ms Cranna, telling them they would be "sent home in disgrace" if rumours of a nurse shoplifting were substantiated.

One nurse, who did not wish to be named, said: "The tone of it is completely unnecessary and has upset quite a lot of people."

The hospitals' chief executive, Roger Greene, has apologised and asked staff to ignore the letter.

Worthing hospital had two major recruitment drives in the Philippines last year because there is an acute shortage of trained nurses in Sussex.

It has also recruited from Australia, South Africa and Spain.

Nurses at Worthing say they hold their Filipino colleagues in high regard and hope the matron's letter will not discourage others.

A hospital spokeswoman said: "Our previous recruitment exercises there have been very successful and they are such good nurses."

A shortlist of nurses in the Philippines was picked by a national nursing recruitment agency before the ward sister from Worthing travelled to conduct interviews.

She will be in the country for a week and successful applicants will arrive at the hospital in several months after checks and documentation.