Hospitals in Brighton and Hove have had a terrible time attracting nurses and other workers during the past year.

One of the main reason for problems at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where pressure is greatest, has been sheer lack of staff.

The Government recognised there were recruitment problems by granting a special allowance in many parts of the NHS where the cost of living is high.

But for some reason it left out East Sussex, Brighton and Hove, although it included neighbouring West Sussex.

One result was that potential recruits in Brighton went a few miles along the road to Worthing and Southlands Hospitals, where extra money was being paid.

The Government has now righted this anomaly by deciding to pay the extra money in the east of the county as well as in the west.

Sustained lobbying by local MPs, particularly Des Turner, David Lepper and Ivor Caplin from Brighton and Hove, has helped lead to this change of heart.

The extra cash won't solve the recruitment problem overnight but it will be a big help to hard-pressed health chiefs.

But there is still more help that must be offered to staff in a bid both to recruit and retain them.

Chief of these is the need to reserve special housing at reasonable rents and prices for key workers.

Even with the cost of living rise, most health staff will not be able to afford to get on to the bottom rung of the housing ladder in Brighton and Hove, where house prices have soared way above inflation.