A health boss has spoken out about the constant pressures his staff face - an issue he says has become a relentless problem for the NHS.

Stuart Welling, chief executive of Brighton Health Care NHS Trust, which runs four hospitals, said he was saddened to see workers having to battle, making day to day care increasingly difficult.

Reviewing the 1999/2000 year while introducing the trust's annual report, Mr Welling said the pressure and its impact on patients had been perhaps the most disappointing element of the past 12 months.

He said: "It's unrelenting. Go into the Royal Sussex County Hospital and you will find people waiting more than 12 hours, and no beds.

"Whenever we have these problems they last for a few days. Sometimes during the last year they lasted for a couple of weeks and that put increasing strain and pressure on our staff."

This year the trust, which is trying to recruit dozens of nurses to ease pressures, presented its annual report along with South Downs Health NHS Trust, Brighton and Hove Primary Care Group, Ouse Valley PCG and East Sussex, Brighton and Hove Health Authority, which together provide health care across the county.

The authority finished the financial year £146,000 in front after fears it would end 1999/2000 in debt.

Other highlights included the ongoing £64 million redevelopment of the Royal Sussex County Hospital, the revamp of drug and alcohol services to reduce deaths from addiction, a relatively smooth ride for medical centres during millennium celebrations, thanks to months of planning and Brighton and Hove Rocks, a study which asked residents how to improve care.

Low points included the massive laundry fire at Brighton General Hospital last September, and the independent report into the Gatwick Park Hospital eyes bungle which criticised Brighton Health Care for gaps in its systems leading to 20 elderly cataract patients being injected with the wrong medical fluid.