The head of a hospital trust at the centre of three recent medical blunders has thrown his support behind his staff.

Stuart Welling said in Brighton Health Care NHS Trust's internal newsletter that he was working towards "a culture of openness and learning rather than one of blame".

Earlier this year when Philip Silsbury, 74, from Littlehampton, died after being given a painkilling injection into a vein instead of his spine during an operation at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

In another incident, four-week-old Morgan Lamberth was given 60 times the recommended dose of morphine by mistake while being treated at the town's Royal Alexandra children's hospital.

A three-year-old boy was given four times the recommended dose of an anti-viral drug at the same hospital.

In both cases the mistake was spotted quickly and the children were not affected.

Mr Welling wrote: "We all make mistakes. I know I do. But I am very conscious that when my clinical colleagues make mistakes, the consequences can be potentially catastrophic for their patients.

"Equally I know the worry, guilt and self-criticism can also be a difficult burden for staff to carry.

"I would like to reassure all staff that Brighton Health Care is working towards a culture of openness and learning."

He added: "Staff can be assured of my support, and that of the senior management team, at this difficult time.

"The media attention tends to obscure all the excellent work you are doing. But we all know that the number of mistakes is tiny compared to the vast majority of patients we treat without incident."