You patients will help mark the next step in the development of a new children's hospital.

They will be at a ceremony at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton on Tuesday to celebrate the breaking of the first piece of ground on the building site.

The £36 million development will replace the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children in Dyke Road, Brighton. Some of its buildings are more than 100 years old. They are small, cramped and unsuitable for 21st Century medical care.

The new hospital will have 100 beds in a mix of single and four-bed units, three operating theatres, diagnostic and treatment facilities, including X-ray and an intensive care unit.

There will also be a cancer care day centre, a place for parents to stay overnight and children's play areas.

It is happening through a Government Private Finance Initiative scheme with Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust working in partnership with developer Kajima Europe.

Responsibility for running the hospital and its services will stay with the trust. Kajima will provide the facilities and long-term building maintenance.