Seven NHS trusts have debts paid

Thousands of people have protested against proposed cuts

Seven out of 24 NHS trusts in the South East have been given financial help leading to accusations of unfairness.

NHS South East Coast said it had acted to help trusts with the biggest debts. But campaigners whose trusts missed out said it was discriminatory and unfair.

The biggest award of £43.5m went to Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

BBC research this year found the trust had the largest deficit in the South East having predicted a debt of £41.2m by the end of March 2006.

The study by the BBC news website also found the Royal West Sussex NHS Trust had a debt of £14.7m and the trust has now been given £15m.

HEALTH TRUST HANDOUTS Surrey and Sussex Healthcare £43.5m Royal West Sussex £15.0m Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals £13.7m Worthing and Southlands Hospitals £10.6m South West Kent Primary Care Trust (PCT) (now part of West Kent PCT) £4.5m Dartford and Gravesham £3.8m Swale PCT (now part of Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT) £3.1m

The sum of £13.7m went to Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals.

Last month, managers and unions at the trust met to discuss plans to cut 500 jobs in a bid to save £15m.

A statement from the health authority said: "As part of the national approach to resolving the NHS's financial problems, NHS South East Coast has given financial help to seven of the 24 Trusts and PCTs in its area.

"This is addressing deficits arising from the NHS's accounting arrangements, which would have affected their positions this year.

"This support, given to organisations with proportionately the biggest challenges, has been funded from PCTs' financial allocations and does not write off any historic debts."

But Liz Walker, from the save the Eastbourne District General Hospital campaign, said: "We live in a fair society, or we should do, and things should happen completely across the board with no discrimination.

"This is discrimination, there's discrimination against the south and there's discrimination against our trust."

Nigel Waterson, Eastbourne MP, said: "It seems very unfair because some trusts which have built up quite large historic deficits are now having them written off, and yet others who have made a lot of progress in reducing their deficit are not.

"I just wonder why that is. It sounds as if yet again the NHS is rewarding failure."