The outbreak of swine flu across Sussex cost NHS bosses hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Figures reveal that in West Sussex alone, the final bill for providing services including extra staff and setting up collection points for vaccines was £663,551.

Details for primary care trusts in Brighton and Hove and East Sussex in 2009/10 have not been finalised but their combined costs are likely to push the overall total towards £1 million.

Health bosses say some of the money would have been paid out anyway, such as on staff salaries, while the rest such as the cost of collecting and distributing vaccines, would be met by the Department of Health.

However some of the additional costs may still have to be absorbed by the NHS locally, potentially having an impact on some services.

The extra demand comes at a tough time for the NHS in the county, which is already looking to save £100 million over the next 12 months ahead of an expected drop in funding from next year, Primary care trusts are trying to save money by cutting costs in areas where it spends more money than it needs to, including mental health and community dental services.