People in Sussex who are waiting for hospital care can now access support and check waiting times on a new online platform.

Built in conjunction with patient groups, the national My Planned Care website allows patients and their carers to access information ahead of their planned appointment, operation or treatment.

In this first stage, patients will be able to search on the site, hosted by nhs.uk, to find the average waiting time at their local hospital for the specialist area they need treatment in.

Data from all of the Sussex hospital trusts will be available through the platform, as well as hospitals across the country.

The platform will be expanded in the coming months to include more specific information for specialties and how patients can contact hospital departments and teams.

The online platform can be accessed here My Planned Care NHS