Up to a third of NHS staff in Sussex would not want to be treated in their own hospitals, a survey has shown.

The national survey by the Healthcare Commission asked health workers if they agreed with the statement: "As a patient, I would be happy to have care provided by my organisation."

Some 32 per cent of those who answered at the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Trust said they disagreed. A further 29 per cent said they held no view.

The trust, which runs Crawley Hospital, was identified as the worst in England in the Health Commission"s National NHS Survey, in which more than 210,000 doctors, nurses and other staff were quizzed about their work.

A total of 25 per cent of staff at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust who responded disagreed with the statement, while 27 per cent had no view. At East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, 21 per cent of staff disagreed, while 34 per cent had no view.

Only 13 per cent of staff at Worthing and Southlands Hospitals disagreed with the statement, while 27 per cent were undecided.

At Royal West Sussex NHS Trust eight per cent of workers disagreed, while 19 per cent were undecided.

The best performing trust was the Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Trust at East Grinstead, where only five per cent of staff disagreed with a further 12 per cent undecided.

A spokesman for the Healthcare Commission said: "Staff may have a good reason for not wanting to be treated in their hospital. They may be concerned about confidentiality."

The Department of Health insisted the results of the survey gave a positive message.

A spokesman said: "The important thing is patient care. The survey reported more than 90 per cent of patients rated their care as excellent, very good or good."

Steve Collins, the Surrey and Sussex trust"s director of strategic development, said: "At the time the staff survey for 2004 was conducted the trust was going through a major reconfiguration