There was joy and woe for Mid Sussex hospitals with today's publication of the Government's annual star ratings.

The specialist Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead scored a maximum three stars for its performance.

But the former Mid Sussex NHS Trust - responsible for the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath - and Surrey and Sussex Health Care NHS Trust, which runs Crawley Hospital, were both given one star.

The three stars for East Grinstead means it will get up to £1 million of extra Government money to spend on services.

The trusts were tested on 35 performance indicators ranging from waiting times to staff morale.

A one-star rating means there are areas of concern with a trust's performance. A two-star means the trust is performing well overall but has not reached consistently high standards.

The Queen Victoria specialises in burns and eye surgery and does not have a general accident and emergency or maternity unit.

Chief executive Jan Bergman said: "The credit for achieving three star status must go to all staff in every department at the Queen Victoria Hospital."

Mid Sussex merged with the former Brighton Health Care trust in April to form the new Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Mid Sussex met six of its key targets but failed in its financial management. The trust was more than £2 million in the red when the merger took place.

It also under-performed on cancelled operations and the number of cancer patients waiting more than two weeks to see a consultant.

A high number of patients discharged after treatment were also readmitted as emergencies but the trust performed well with its breast cancer care treatment.

Brighton made a significant improvement, rising from a zero-star rating to two.

Trust chief executive Stuart Welling said: "It has been a difficult year for the old Mid Sussex trust but I am very pleased that the previous year's performance has nevertheless been maintained. "

Surrey and Sussex failed to meet three key targets: patients waiting more than 12 hours on trolleys in accident and emergency, cancelled operations and financial management.

It performed well in making sure patients sent home after treatment did not have to be readmitted as emergencies.

Chief executive Ken Cunningham said: "I am pleased that our general ratings have improved in some important areas.

"I am however disappointed at the rating of one star, which does not reflect the hard work and commitment of staff across the trust."

Star ratings were also published for ambulance services. Sussex scored two stars.

David Griffiths, chief executive of Sussex Ambulance Service, said: "It is a reflection on the hard work and efforts of the staff.

"We are not complacent and there are still areas for improvement which we are constantly working on."

Worthing and Southlands hospitals slipped from two stars to one, as did St Richard's in Chichester.

The former Eastbourne Hospitals also went down from two to one. The old Hastings and Rother stayed at one.

Both trusts merged to form East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust in April.

Nationally, 68 hospitals achieved three stars, 172 two stars, 51 one star and ten no stars.

A spokesman for the Patient Action Group in Sussex said: "The results of the star ratings show that, as with the rest of the South, hospitals here have ongoing problems getting patients out of hospital and into homes.

"This leads to long waits in A&E and cancelled operations."