Police launch investigation into HUNDREDS of surgery deaths at major NHS Trust after whistleblowers speak out
POLICE have launched an investigation into hundreds of surgery deaths at a major NHS Trust after whistleblowers spoke out.
More than 200 cases of death or injury are being looked into by cops at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust, one of the largest NHS trusts in the south-east of England.
Police first launched the investigation in 2023, with the number of cases recently doubling.
The operation, nicknamed Bramber, had initially identified more than 100 cases of allegations of poor care and practice within the trust.
It is understood that Sussex Police has taken more than 130 statements and produced 550 reports from interviews with individuals connected to the investigation.
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This is in addition to the now 200 reported cases of alleged medical negligence.
One former patient's father has said he felt left down after questions surrounding his son's death were left unanswered.
Simon Chilcott, the father of Lewis Chilcott, 23, from Billingshurst, claims his son's death was caused by alleged errors during his treatment.
Lewis had undergone a tracheostomy at the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath before he was transferred to Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where he later died.
Simon believes that something was wrong at the trust and that he is still searching for the "truth", saying he has "no confidence" in the organisation.
Tony Mardell, a father-of-two from East Preston near Worthing, had to wait a year to have his benign brain tumour operated on.
Police are now investigating his care after he said he is now in constant pain and has limited mobility following the surgery.
Principal lawyer at Slater and Gordon Nisha Sharma is handling the ever expanding number of cases within Operation Bramber and has described patients' stories as "heart-breaking".
SPECIALIST CONSULTANTS BROUGHT IN
An independent group of specialist consultant surgeons have been called on to provide their expert opinion in the investigation.
Their findings, alongside other information, will be considered as police decide whether to pursue criminal charges.
A spokesperson for Sussex Police told The Sun: "The Sussex Police investigation into allegations of medical negligence at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust is ongoing.
"The scope of the investigation – relating to neurosurgery and general surgery at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton between 2015 and 2021 – remains unchanged.
"A dedicated team of officers are progressing enquiries and engaging with involved patients and families to provide information and support while this is ongoing."
They added: "Individual cases have also started to be reviewed by specialist consultant surgeons, commissioned to provide expert medical opinion.
"The consultants are totally independent of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and have undergone a nationally accepted vetting process.
"The medical experts will report on their findings and their evaluation will be considered alongside information obtained from our police enquiries to determine whether cases will be taken forward in the investigation, and if so which ones."
The spokesperson also confirmed that any cases that do not currently meet a criminal threshold would be removed.
They continued: "Sussex Police is committed to conducting a thorough and transparent investigation.
"Due to the complex nature of the enquiries, this is likely to take some time to complete."
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Professor Katie Urch, Chief Medical Officer at University Hospitals Sussex, said the organisation was "cooperating fully" with the investigation by Sussex Police.
She added patient care is the trust's "priority" and that it was "continually working" on the improvement of its services and people's experiences with them.