3 weeks Ago
Nisha Sharma, principal lawyer at Slater and Gordon in Brighton, discusses the impact of the police investigation into University Hospitals Sussex, and how the legal process is helping patients to understand what happened to them With the scope of the police investigation into allegations of malpractice and negligence at University Hospitals Sussex more than doubling, we now know there are at least 200 cases involved in Operation Bramber. As well as those 200 individuals who are directly involved in the Sussex Police inquiry, there are 200 families, 200 circles of friends. Thousands of people in our community are affected, directly and indirectly, by what has allegedly happened at the Royal Sussex County Hospital and other hospitals in the Trust.
The impact of this on people’s lives is massive and very deeply felt. The investigation, launched in May 2023, focuses on the general surgery and neurosurgery departments at UHS and operations that were performed there between 2015 to 2021. Initially, Operation Bramber involved 105 cases and 40 deaths – that has now grown to more than 200 cases and 90 deaths.
Sussex Police have recruited more dedicated resource to work on this highly complex investigation, which may result in individual and corporate manslaughter charges. But due to its scale and complexity, we do not yet have a timescale for any decisions to be made on this. Families whose cases form part of the investigation – all of whom have been contacted directly by Sussex Police – are understandably keen to find answers.
To know your treatment operation forms part of a police investigation has been hugely distressing for those involved. Law firm Slater and Gordon has become a leading advisor to those affected by Operation Bramber, and our investigations – conducted by independent medical experts, in parallel with the police inquiry – are helping families to establish more about what happened during their medical procedure. While they may have known or suspected something may have gone wrong, with many thinking it is bad luck or ‘just one of those things’, we are helping to piece together the reality for them.
We are acting for growing numbers of those who themselves, or whose loved one, have suffered as a consequence of what happened at the Royal Sussex. While many prefer to stay anonymous due to the enormity of the situation, others have bravely decided to share their story. Tony Mardell, formerly a successful business owner, has become what he describes as a “shell of a person” following surgery on a benign brain tumour at the Royal Sussex.
The 63-year-old waited more than a year between his tumour being detected and him being operated on, despite experiencing increasingly serious seizures. His operation was cancelled three times. After numerous rounds of surgery since, he now relies on his family and carers to enable him to retain some independence.
He has also been forced to close his kitchen appliances business, which has placed huge financial strain on him, his wife Sandra, and their two children. “I am trapped in my chair every day," said Tony, who lives in East Preston. "My quality of life is so poor that I believe without my family and friends, I couldn’t continue with life.
“I’m constantly in pain and have very limited mobility." Tony has received no support from UHS since his discharge in 2023, with Sandra describing their situation, and the lack of support or rehabilitation, as an “ongoing nightmare”. Another patient, Jane (not her real name), underwent spinal surgery twice in the same day in 2017, and has lived with significant mobility problems, pain and numbness since.
It was only late last year when Sussex Police contacted her that she learned more about her experience at the Royal Sussex. Through whistleblower evidence, Jane learned that, while she had been told her second operation was due to ‘blood clots’, she had actually developed a haematoma – a potentially deadly blood clot. “It was a complete shock to be told this, all these years later.
I knew I’d had a bad experience at this hospital, but to be told your case is part of a police investigation is really very shocking,” says Jane, from the Brighton area. “I had no idea about the haematoma. When I was informed of this, I couldn’t get it out of my mind.
At first I was upset, but now I’m really angry. I would never have known this if the whistleblower hadn’t come forward. Why did they keep this from me?” Slater and Gordon is receiving ongoing enquiries from people who have concerns about their care at the Royal Sussex, and is supporting several in pursuing a claim.
If you have experienced sub-standard care at this hospital, or from other hospitals within UHS, please get in touch. As well as working on Operation Bramber cases, we are also instructed where treatment falls outside of this timeframe. Our team of specialists are experienced and skilled in pursuing the truth around medical negligence, and are committed to finding the answers – and securing the justice – families need and deserve.
Contact Nisha Sharma on [email protected] or 03309 955687 , and visit their website to find out more: www.
slatergordon.co.uk.
