The NHS in Sussex is facing a deepening crisis as it emerged it was in the red by almost £85 million at the end of March this year.

The bulk of the figure is down to Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which reported an overspend of £40.8 million - the highest in England.

Patient groups said the figures were "disturbing" and would have an inevitable impact on patient care.

The actual cash crisis rises to more than £100 million overall as the figures do not take all debts from previous years into account.

The annual budget for NHS organisations in the county is more than £2 billion.

Other poor performers include East Downs Primary Care Trust (PCT), which overspent by just under £7.2 million, and Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust, which went over budget by £10.6 million.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust's debt stood at £11.3 million, while the Royal West Sussex, which runs St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, reported a figure of £13.4 million.

East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust carried forward a deficit from the previous year of £4.8 million.

Mid Sussex PCT and Sussex Downs and Weald PCT went over-budget by £1.9 million and almost £4 million respectively.

Horsham and Chanctonbury PCT went into the red by £590,000.

All other NHS organisations reported underspends, with one of the highest recorded by Adur, Arun and Worthing PCT at almost £3 million.

The Brighton-based NHS Support Federation is an independent pressure group with members from the general public and the health service.

Director Paul Evans said: "The emergence of these debts are of concern to us. The numbers are so big that people can find it difficult to assess their actual impact.

"The real impact is that these overspends have already led to more than 1,000 posts being axed in Sussex, services cut and staff put under pressure."

Eastbourne Downs PCT's interim chief executive Debbie Bamford said: "We are facing a substantial financial challenge over the next year but there is a determination to build long-term sustainable health services for the local population.

"Work is under way to produce a plan which will describe how health services across East Sussex, including Eastbourne Downs, will provide affordable, high-quality services while maintaining its targets."

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare's chief executive Gary Walker said: "The trust has made significant progress over the last year and has proved it can reduce its monthly deficit and improve the service it delivers to patients.

"In March 2005 the trust was spending £3.2 million a month more than the budget allocated. By March 2006, the trust had reduced this monthly overspend by £1.2 million to under £2 million a month over-budget.

"Over the next six months the trust will be implementing its turnaround plan, which will drive forward further reductions in the monthly overspend and improve further the quality of service we offer our patients."