Damaging claims of bullying and harassment at two of Sussex's major hospitals are published in a report by an NHS watchdog today.

Long-awaited findings by the Healthcare Commission reveal alarming allegations made by staff at East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust.

They include claims that: Management were "dictatorial and inconsistent".

Twenty per cent of staff who complained about being bullied and harassed quit as a result of the issues.

Thirteen per cent of people who complained had been advised by human resources or management against making a complaint on the grounds it would be held against them personally.

It was claimed there was a "lack of visibility" from exchief executive Annette Sergeant and that she failed to address concerns about how the medical director was performing.

In addition, it was said that 33 per cent of people who complained went on long-term sick leave.

The trust said some allegations were later found to be unsubstantiated and dated back to when it was formed in a merger in 2002.

However, MPs last night said the findings called into question management at the trust during the investigation.

The commission's report follow an inquiry triggered last April after concerns from trust staff and a local GP.

During the inquiry, the commission received 46 complaints from staff about their managers or other colleagues. Thirty-five alleged they had been bullied or harassed while the remainder claimed they had been treated unfairly. At the time of the investigation the trust had 5,000 employees.

The allegations came from a cross-section of staff and from across different directorates at both the Conquest Hospital, St Leonards, and the Eastbourne District General Hospital (DGH).

The majority of complainants were based at the Conquest Hospital.

Dozens of staff, past and present, were interviewed as part of the inquiry along with stakeholders and patients.

The commission's investigation found that the perception of bullying and harassment among staff was high.

But despite this, it said there was "no evidence" to indicate the actual number of allegations of bullying and harassment was higher than other similar-sized trusts.

However, the commission criticised senior managers for not taking action to find out more about these perceptions.

It said the "tone" set by Ms Sergeant and the trust's board allowed perceptions of widespread bullying and harassment to continue.

The commission said problems between staff took a long time to resolve and some were left unresolved.

There was said to be inconsistent advice to staff from human resources and staff felt discouraged from submitting complaints.

Trust chairman John Lewis said: "Changes are already underway in a number of areas since the concerns were raised with the commission last year. We are committed to making the improvements proposed in the report."