The number of patient deaths being investigated as possible manslaughter at a troubled NHS hospital has more than doubled to 90, the Guardian can reveal.
The growing number of allegedly suspicious deaths, up from an initial total of 40, has forced Sussex police to ask the Home Office for extra resources in dealing with its expanding inquiry into University Hospitals Sussex (UHS), known as Operation Bramber.
It is examining allegations of medical negligence and cover-up in the general surgery and neurosurgery departments of Brighton’s Royal Sussex County hospital, part of UHS, between 2015 and 2021.
There are also growing internal concerns within the trust about surgeons who continue to operate at the hospital, despite their alleged negligence being reviewed by police.
Earlier this month, a group of anaesthetists asked the trust’s medical director for guidance on what to tell patients who inquire about the safety of surgeons about to operate on them.
A source at the trust said: “It’s a very valid question. The anaesthetists are in an awkward position of having to anaesthetise the patients before surgery with consultants under suspicion.”
There have been calls to suspend some surgeons while police investigate. The source added: “I think the reason they have been allowed to continue, is that the trust does not want to show they have made any mistakes.”
Earlier this month, the Guardian revealed that Sussex police were examining possible corporate and individual manslaughter charges. The force is reviewing 90 deaths and more than 100 cases of serious harm with the help of a team of independent surgeons.
One of the consultants who continues to operate at the trust is a neurosurgeon who last week had his practising privileges withdrawn at a local Nuffield private hospital. A spokesperson said this was “due to a failure to engage in medical assurance governance processes”.
There is also internal concern in UHS at the inexperience of the current surgeons operating at the hospital. Only five of the 12 surgeons on the rota for emergency surgery are on the General Medical Council’s specialist register, inclusion on which is requirement for a consultant’s post.
The source said: “If you have one or two surgeons who are not on the register you can cope, but having a majority not on the register is unheard of because of the level of training and expertise required.”
One of the emergency surgeons who is not on the register was responsible for a “never event” in 2016 when a medical specimen bag and the removed part of a bowel was left inside a patient after hernia operation.
UHS has been subject to a series of damning inspection reports, had the highest number of patients waiting a year and a half for care in England, and was last month ranked among the five worst trusts in England.
A source close to the investigation said: “The number of deaths the police are looking at has increased to 90, which is why they are struggling to cope and have asked the Home Office for extra help.”
Sussex police refused to comment on the figure, or reveal a breakdown of how the deaths were divided between alleged mistakes in the neurosurgery and general surgery departments. A spokesperson said: “This is an active and ongoing investigation and we will not be providing specific details around case numbers at this time.”
They added: “The medical experts will report on their findings and their evaluation will be considered alongside information obtained from our police inquiries to determine whether cases will be taken forward in the investigation, and if so which ones. Those that do not currently meet a criminal threshold will be withdrawn, and this will be communicated to patients and families directly by the investigation team.”
Katie Urch, UHS’s chief medical officer, said the trust’s surgeons were “highly skilled clinicians who are trained and qualified to perform complex, life-saving procedures every day”.
She added: “Our teams are subject to rigorous scrutiny, and we actively encourage colleagues to speak up and take action if they believe we could ever do more to protect and care for our patients.
“While every treatment and operation carries some level of risk, our teams are dedicated to delivering the safest and highest-quality care. We are committed to being open, listening and continually learning from every experience to keep improving the care we provide.”
