If you're going to the accident and emergency department at the Royal Sussex in Brighton, be prepared for a long wait.

Unless you're critically injured, the chances are that you will wait many hours before you are treated or discharged.

It simply isn't good enough and the number of people waiting on trolleys there for more than 12 hours was one of the main reasons why the trust which runs it has been dubbed one of the worst in the country.

Brighton Health Care NHS Trust was one of only 12 acute groups in England awarded no stars by the Government.

It means chief executive Stuart Welling and his team now have three months to turn the hospital round.

But the trust, which runs three other hospitals besides the Royal Sussex, will be hard-pressed to put it right in that time.

High house prices mean it's hard to recruit vital staff such as nurses.

A shortage of nursing homes leads to beds being blocked by patients.

There are signs of progress. Waiting lists have been reduced and breast cancer patients are being seen more speedily.

But under the Government's tough new regime, a failing health trust is like a failing school. If the problem persists, someone is brought in from outside to clean up the mess.

It's harsh but those patients waiting hours on trolleys deserve no less.