Prime Minister Tony Blair has been challenged to visit a struggling hospital to explain why it is spending more than £1 million more than it can afford.

Worthing West MP Peter Bottomley used Prime Minister's Question Time to highlight the problems faced by Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust.

The trust forecasts it will be overspent by £12 million by the end of next April, which means it is spending £1 million a month more than it can afford.

Mr Bottomley called on the Prime Minister to come to Worthing "and explain to a well-run hospital in a financially prudent primary care trust why they suddenly had to save £1 million a month unexpectedly".

A plan aimed at saving cash is being drawn up and details of the next steps taken are expected to be revealed at the end of next month.

The trust is setting aside £200,000 for a turnaround director to be brought in and work alongside auditors from Pricewaterhouse-Cooper.

The team will look at the trust's performance to see where it is going wrong and how it can be run more efficiently.

Managers say the money is worth spending because without the extra help their financial problems will only get worse.

The trust has warned nothing is being ruled out at this stage when it comes to saving money, including possible job losses, but insists redundancies would be a last resort.

The Government has already sent turnaround teams to three other hospital trusts in Sussex after they were named and shamed on a list of 18 organisations nationally unable to get their finances under control.

PricewaterhouseCooper has been working with these trusts as well.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals revealed it plans to shed 325 posts as part of its plans, while Surrey and Sussex Healthcare is losing 400.

Royal West Sussex, which runs St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, is yet to publish its proposals.

Worthing chief executive Stephen Cass says the trust needs to get its finances under control if it is to apply successfully for foundation trust status so it has decided to jump the gun and get the experts in.

Foundation trusts have greater freedom from Whitehall and more control over their spending and borrowing budgets.

The Government wants all hospitals to eventually apply for and get foundation status but they need to prove they are performing well in all areas first.

Mr Cass said: "Worthing and Southlands has an excellent reputation for providing high quality care to the local population.

"We want to maintain this standard of service and build on our achievements.

"By taking this initiative we will be able to draw on the wide-ranging experience drawn from work in a number of other hospitals allowing us to produce an action plan faster."

Mr Bottomley said: "There is clearly a problem here. Worthing and Southlands had previously always been able to work well with its finances and now it is struggling.

"Part of the issue is that the funding levels for here and along the South Coast are not taking into account the large number of elderly and frail patients who need a lot of help and support."

Hospitals across Sussex say the financial problems are partly down to them treating more patients but not getting the extra funding to match.