Marianne Griffiths will take charge of the new trust, which hopes to manage St Richard's Hospital, Chichester, and Worthing Hospital.

Mrs Griffiths takes on the post after being appointed interim chief executive at Royal West Sussex NHS Trust which runs St Richard's in December following the departure of Andrew Liles.

She will now concentrate on working towards the merger, which means the two trusts could join forces on April 1 if plans are approved by Health Secretary Alan Johnson.

In a joint statement, Susan Pyper, chairman of Royal West Sussex NHS Trust, and Tom Robson, chairman of Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust, wrote: 'This is an excellent step forward for the new organisation as we work towards a merger in April.

'Marianne has a wealth of experience working in the regional NHS and she will bring her energy and enthusiasm to help shape the new Trust for patients and staff.