The campaign to keep breast care services in Brighton has won the backing of an independent panel.

Seventeen people were chosen from applicants across Mid Sussex, Ouse Valley and Brighton and Hove to sit on the panel in Lewes.

It will focus on the proposed transfer of breast cancer care out of the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton to the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.

The panel said there should be a centre of excellence for breast care established to serve the area but, if at all possible, it should be in Brighton and Hove.

The group heard from a range of experts, including the medical director of the Princess Royal, a breast surgeon from the Royal Sussex and the hospital's clinical director of the breast assessment unit.

Breast care nurses from Brighton and Haywards Heath spoke, as did an independent international expert on cancer services.

The panel wanted more work undertaken before a final decision was made on the transfer and recommended an independent architect's review of the availability of space at the Royal Sussex.

Possible alternatives should be investigated, including the potential for relocation of other services or administrative or support functions.

The panel also recommended an urgent meeting with residents and the planning committee of Brighton and Hove City Council to relieve the constraints on and around the Royal Sussex's site.

It also proposed a transport feasibility study to ensure the impact of any solution on patients, their partners and relatives was understood.

Amanda Philpott, West Sussex Health Authority's director for improving access, said: "I know health authority boards will consider these recommendations very seriously, alongside all the other feedback we have received during the consultation process."

The recommendations will be presented to health chiefs at a meeting on November 2.