A shortage of senior doctors is putting the lives of emergency patients at risk in Sussex, it was claimed today.

Figures show under-staffing in casualty departments under the control of Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority.

Department of Health statistics show only 2.2 consultants per casualty unit in the region - well below the eight recommended by the British Association of Accident and Emergency Medicine (BAEM).

The figure is also below the bare minimum level of three demanded by the BAEM as a worst case scenario.

There are five consultants covering both A&E departments at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath and the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs both hospitals, says in an ideal world it would have eight consultants but it is coping with the five and patients are not being put at risk.

It has long term recruitment plans to find three more consultants and says it also has a strong team of senior staff including senior house officers providing back-up.

The trust, formed a year ago with the merger of Brighton Health Care and Mid Sussex trusts, originally had problems attracting consultants to work at Princess Royal because it was a small department.

The department deals with about 32,000 emergency cases a year compared with 75,000 at the Royal Sussex.

The trust has managed to recruit three consultants in the last year, two of which were new posts, since it offered consultants the chance to work at both sites.

A spokesman said: "There are times when consultants are very stretched but they are able to provide the cover needed and deal with patients.

"We would like to have more and we are working towards that.

"We are getting a lot of interest from doctors wanting to work here. We have recently had 500 applications for senior house officer posts we advertised."

There are hopes the establishment of the new Brighton and Sussex medical school in September will also help to encourage more top-level staff to both hospitals.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Dr Evan Harris said: "The Government is obsessed with political targets and fiddling the figures but what really matters to patients is getting access to quality and safe care.

"That means having enough senior doctors. Many casualty departments are struggling with a shortage of senior doctors, well below the ideal numbers.

"Doctors who are available are often forced to distort their priorities to meet political targets.

"Junior doctors are forced to work without supervision. In some areas, the level of cover endangers patients' lives."