The boss of Sussex's biggest hospital trust is stepping down from his post.

Stuart Welling, chief executive of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, is taking early retirement and will leave his £140,000 a year job in June.

He plans to set up an independent management consultancy and spend more time with his wife and family.

The equivalent of a year's salary will be paid into his pension to take account of his early retirement in lieu of a pay-off.

Mr Welling's decision to leave after 13 years as chief executive in Brighton and Hove is the second recent high profile resignation from the trust board.

Chairman Michael Whiting announced he was leaving earlier this year and his replacement is expected to be announced next month.

Mr Welling said: "It was a very difficult decision but I was not going to be able to continue indefinitely.

"It is a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week job and, while I have always welcomed and accepted that responsibility and challenge, there is a time when you have to stop. I just feel that now the time is right."

The trust is responsible for the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Sussex Eye Hospital and Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children in Brighton and the Princess Royal Hospital and Hurstwood Park Neurosciences Centre in Haywards Heath.

Mr Welling has worked in the NHS for more than 30 years, originally in finance, and has held senior management positions for 25 years.

He was chief executive of Brighton Health Authority from 1991 and became the first head of Brighton Health Care from its inception in 1993.

Mr Welling oversaw the merger with the former Mid Sussex Trust to create the existing hospitals trust in April last year.

In 2001, he was at risk of losing his job when the former Brighton Health Care was given zero stars in the first Government star ratings for hospital performance.

He had to prove to then health secretary Alan Milburn that he was able to turn the trust's performance around otherwise a new team would be sent in.

Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust chief executive Gary Needle said: "It has been a personal privilege to work as a chief executive alongside Stuart over the past five years. I will be very sorry to see him go."

Brighton Kemp Town MP Des Turner said: "I will be sorry to see him go. He has done his best in what have been some fairly difficult situations over the years."