Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is expected to give a formal decision on a £420 million hospital redevelopment this week.

If he gives the go-ahead to the proposals for Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton it will mean funding for the first stage of the ten-year project can be released.

The money will pay to decant staff and equipment out of older buildings and into the former St Mary’s Hall School nearby so preparation work on the main site can begin.

The next step in the process will be the production of a full business case which will be sent to the Government to consider.

South East Coast Strategic Health Authority and Brighton and Hove City Council have already approved the scheme.

The redevelopment will create hundreds of jobs during and after construction. It will involve the demolition and replacement of the ageing Barry and Jubilee buildings, an expanded cancer centre and an underground car park.

The existing Thomas Kemp Tower will have a helicopter pad added which means critically ill patients will get the treatment they need more quickly.