Patients at two hospitals in Brighton are being cared for at some of the worst wards in England, according to a watchdog.

Both the Brighton General Hospital and the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children in Brighton were named and shamed in a review of hospitals carried out by Patient Environment Action Teams (PEATs) during this year. Under the PEAT scheme, every in-patient healthcare facility in England with more than ten beds is assessed and given a rating of excellent, good, acceptable, poor or unacceptable.

Both Brighton hospitals were said to provide "poor" environments for patients on their wards, putting them at the bottom end of the scale in results published yesterday.

PEAT inspections took into account cleanliness and standards of furniture and decor.

Checks were made on the state of curtains to see if they provided privacy by closing fully round beds, checked if wards were mixed with male and female patients and if women had to share washing facilities with men.

The poor rating for the environment of ward in the Brighton General is another damning indictment of the hospital which was criticised four months ago for dumping elderly patients in an old, obsolete Victorian block which critics have said should have been scrapped years ago.

The latest review results are another damning blow to the health care system in the city.

PEAT inspectors rated the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children "poor" for cleanliness and the Brighton General was criticised for its food which was also given a "poor" rating.

The Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and the Sussex Eye Hospital in Brighton were among the 40 per cent of hospitals across the country rated "acceptable" for environment. They were also among the 51 per cent of hospitals, including the Royal Alexandra, to achieve a "good" score for food.

The poor results of the two worst city hospitals has been criticised by MPs.

Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, who represents Lewes and has a number of constituents using Brighton General Hospital, said: "The environment of the hospital and the food people are given to eat are essential ingredients for the treatment of people. By neglecting these areas, patient care is put back."

Labour MP David Lepper, for Brighton Pavilion, said: "Many of the people who are patients at Brighton General Hospital are elderly so these scores are particularly concerning."

A spokeswoman for South Downs Health NHS Trust, which took over overall responsibility for the two remaining wards in the Brighton General in July, said: "This assessment was carried out ten months ago and, since then, most of the wards have closed. People will be looking at the previous scores and working out where improvements can be made in the two that remain open."

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust said it recently invested £100,000 to improve the environment at the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital.

A spokeswoman said: "This will ensure the hospital remains fit for patients' use until the opening of the new £36 million children's hospital on the site of the Royal Sussex County Hospital in 2007."

Yesterday's results come as standards are improving across most of the NHS, according to chief nursing officer Christine Beasley.