Residents took health officials to task last night over the possible reorganisation of casualty services at a hospital.

They fear elderly and infirm patients will be forced to make long journeys on public transport if the scheme for the Princess Royal at Haywards Heath goes ahead.

Represenatives from Sussex health authorities, the ambulance service and Brighton Health Care NHS Trust defended their ideas amid opposition from the public at a heated meeting at Hove Town Hall last night.

There has been an outcry over the most controversial suggestion, which is to send seriously ill or injured people to Brighton instead of Haywards Heath.

The aim is to pool specialists so that patients benefit from having an entire body of medical experts on site, rather than split between the two hospitals.

This would mean patients from Brighton who do not need emergency treatment or operations would have to travel to Haywards Heath.

Geraldine Desmoulins, of the Sixty Plus Action Group, told the panel: "I want to know how you think elderly people will get to hospital.

"You can have all the specialists in the world but if people can't get to them you are not going to have anybody to treat."

Richard Penney of the Sussex Ambulance Service said a group of public bodies was discussing transport for non-urgent patients.

He said ambulances should not be used to transport patients who did not have an urgent medical need.

Tom Fitzpatrick, a solicitor from Burgess Hill, said: "Until somebody comes up with a development plan, showing how transport will work, how parking will be provided, then nobody is going to believe you at all."

Brighton Health Care NHS Trust chief executive Stuart Welling said: "If we appear smug, that is not our intention. We are trying to engage people in a proper dialogue about the development of health services.

"It is your health service, it is my health service. We are not trying to talk rhetoric. We are trying to share some concerns."