A four-year package of measures aimed at making NHS buildings more convenient for disabled people has been unveiled.

South Downs Health NHS Trust is planning to spend £950,000 on its properties in the Brighton and Hove and Lewes areas.

The trust, which provides community, mental health and rehabilitation services to 300,000 people, has made a check of all 59 premises it owns or leases to find out how easy it is for disabled patients to use them and for disabled staff to work in them.

At its meeting on Thursday, the trust board will be asked to approve the programme of improvements to ensure there are no physical barriers to disabled patients, staff and visitors in any of its buildings by 2004.

The Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 gives organisations until 2004 to remove barriers to disabled people or provide services in another way.

A working group was set up last year to make sure South Downs Health measured up to the new standards. The inspection team put its findings into a report listing work which needed to be done in order of priority.

Trust executive director Sarah Hood said: "This was a huge piece of work which the audit team worked really hard to complete."

The scheme will be regularly reviewed as work progresses.