Health bosses have named four non-executive directors of a new hospital trust board.

Paul Ashwell, Tim Crosbie, Janet Perkins and Jon Cohen will sit on the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust board for four years.

Mr Ashwell, from Horsham, was previously a non-executive director with the Mid Sussex NHS Trust.

Mr Crosbie, from Burgess Hill, is a retired chartered insurer and marketing executive. He is also chairman of the Mid Sussex (South) Access Group, a registered charity which campaigns for improved access to public buildings.

Mrs Perkins, from Balcombe, is a lip-reading tutor to deaf and hard-of-hearing adults.

She grew up in the United States and began her career as a case worker with the New York City Department of Welfare in the Bronx.

Professor Cohen, who lives near Lewes, was recently appointed Dean of the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, which opens next year.

Trust chairman Michael Whiting said: "I am delighted to welcome these colleagues on to the board.

"They each bring with them valuable skills and an obvious commitment to local public service.

"Their input will help the new trust continue establishing itself as one of the leading providers of health care in the country."

The trust was formed in April following a merger of Brighton Health Care NHS Trust with Mid Sussex NHS Trust.

The new organisation manages hospital services for 460,000 people in Brighton and Hove, Ouse Valley and central Sussex.

It spends £200 million a year and employs 4,000 staff.