A review which led to the closure of an emergency ward has descended into farce, say critics.

They spoke out after the chairman of the committee behind the scrutiny of Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath declared he had not resigned - four months after council officers announced he had.

Coun Robin Brown came under fire from MPs and councillors alike for his handling of a joint health and scrutiny committee, presiding over an NHS consultation that saw the closure of an emergency ward.

Mid Sussex District Council asked for the Best Care, Best Place exercise, that resulted in the end of emergency trauma surgery at the Princess Royal Hospital, to be called in by the Government.

Stating the scrutiny process was "fundamentally flawed", they were joined in their criticism by Mid Sussex MP Nicholas Soames, describing the committee as "lamentable".

However, four months after their request was made, the council received a letter refusing to pass the consultation on to Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt.

It also declared that Coun Brown, of West Sussex County Council, had already stepped down from chairing the committee.

Mr Soames said he had written to Coun Brown on several occasions without any response.

He added: "I think it's astonishing that I wasn't told and I'm very displeased.

"I remain perplexed and distressed by the whole manner of the scrutiny process and their astonishingly casual response to the council's reservations, many of which I share."

However, Coun Brown told The Argus yesterday he was unsure he had, in fact, resigned at all.

He believes he only discussed with officers the prospect of his Vice Chairman Anne Marie Morris taking over the post, a month ago.

He said: "I'm not even sure she knows about it, but I only discussed handing over to her in December.

"As far as I'm concerned, I am still chairman."

Coun Brown added that, rather then discussing the 22-page document from Mid Sussex with his committee, he had left it to his officers to deal with.

Mr Soames said the scrutiny's whole process had been "a shambles".

He said: "It's taken the joint health and scrutiny committee three months, I repeat three months, to reply to a detailed letter from Mid Sussex District Council, setting out their objections to the scrutiny of Best Care, Best Place.

"I think the committee was a shambles. It's the process that's wrong -

they've got it wrong from beginning to end."

Mid Sussex District Coun Paddy Henry said: "I've never heard of anything like this before, but the overview process was such a farce, not meeting any standards of scrutiny or independent thought whatsoever, that I'm not surprised.

"Coun Brown has abdicated his responsibility, as has West Sussex County Council. Mid Sussex patients are suffering as a result, along with the populations of Crawley and Horsham.

"Half the population of West Sussex now have no meaningful inpatient facilities that are accessible and sustainable - they have to go to neighbouring counties."

The NHS Best Care, Best Place consultation led to the Haywards Heath hospital closing the doors to its emergency trauma surgery in July, with on average six patients a day having to travel elsewhere.

A spokesman for West Sussex County Council said: "Robin Brown is standing down from the joint committee and that will be formally notified when it is reconvened in February."