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.
AlamyUniversity Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust is being looked into by police following more than 200 cases of death or injury in the county[/caption]
Whistleblowers had raised concerns about general surgery and neurosurgery at the trust, ITV News reported.
Since police launched the investigation in 2023, the number of cases has doubled.
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.
This is in addition to the 200 reported cases of alleged medical negligence made.
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”.
She said: “It is truly heart-breaking and we only hope they received the answers they need and deserve through this police investigation.”
The lawyer urged anyone else who had concerns over care from University Hospitals Sussex to also come forward, highlighting that the operation was at least twice as large as it was in 2023.
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 said its investigations are ongoing and that cases that presently fail to meet a criminal threshold would be withdrawn.
GettyNo arrests have yet been made as part of the investigation[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
