DRASTIC staff shortages are threatening to ground a pioneering care centre for people with severe brain conditions, an NHS watchdog claims.

Efforts to make the Sussex Rehabilitation Centre at Shoreham a recognised "centre of excellence" may collapse unless new specialists are recruited quickly, according to Worthing Community Health Council.

The service at Southlands Hospital looks after stroke patients and people with neurological disorders from the Brighton, Lewes and Worthing areas.

Now health chiefs overseeing the unit, whichopened less than a year ago, are being urged to stem the staffing crisis before it jeopardises the service.

Anew report by Community Health Council chief officer Trevor Richards says: "The combined undertaking of several trusts to establish a rehabilitation unit and a centre of excellence for this has already achieved much, but the level of staffing is such that this may all collapse.

"Packages of care are not being met and, consequently, caring staff are becoming demoralised.

"Lack of adequate funding is a fundamental fact for the continuation of and full achievements of this unit. The CHC members are deeply concerned about itsfuture."

Mr Richards said: "The ball is now firmly in the management's court. They have explained to us where they are coming from, but they've now got to show us they are going to take the appropriate action to take on more staff."

Other concerns highlighted include:

Some patients being referred without enough prior assessment

Poor care planning, leading to patients being discharged too early or staying too long

"Critical" Christmas nursing and therapy cover for stroke sufferers

Lack of beds for non-stroke/head injury patients.

Andrew Horne, chief executive of South DownsHealth NHS Trust which manages the unit, denied there were problems with patient referrals and said several new specialists were about to be taken on.

But he said staffing problems arose partly through lack of Government guidelines for such a groundbreaking unit to follow.

He added: "This service does not yet claim to be a centre of excellence.

"This is something that all are committed to working towards but realise it will take a few years to achieve."

The rehab centre currently has 32 beds for stroke patients and 25 for those with neurological conditions. At present, it employs the equivalent of 26 full-time specialists and 63 nurses.

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