The number of patients waiting to be admitted into NHS hospitals in Sussex has fallen.

In the East Sussex Brighton and Hove Health Authority area 18,136 are waiting for treatment compared with 18,664 last year.

In West Sussex the figure is 18,837, compared with 19,446.

The drop in numbers is in line with the national trend announced by the Department of Health today.

The number of patients waiting to be admitted to NHS hospitals now stands at 1,006,600.

The total number waiting fell by 30,400 between March 2000 and March 2001.

Brighton Health Care Trust had the largest fall in numbers, managing to almost halve its outpatient waiting list in a year from 5,775 to 3,185, although it still did not manage to reach its end-of-year target.

A trust spokesman said: "We will now be working throughout the next year to lower the numbers even more."

At Eastbourne Hospitals NHS Trust the inpatient waiting list has dropped in the last year by 615 from 4,996 to 4,381 and the outpatient list from 848 to 528.

Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust last year introduced a new method of booking appointments which has contributed to its drop in waiting times.

Additional funding used to expand services has also resulted in a drop from 6,445 in March 2000 to 5,538 in April 2001.

The money was used to introduce a number of measures such as weekend operating sessions, more out-patient clinics, using private nursing homes for patients no longer needing hospital care and using neighbouring hospitals.