Police in Sussex are investigating over 200 cases of surgical deaths or injuries linked to the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust, following whistleblower claims about unsafe practices in general and neurosurgery. The inquiry began in 2023 after concerns were raised regarding approximately 40 deaths at Brighton’s Royal Sussex County Hospital over five years. According to whistleblower Krishna Singh, cost-cutting measures led to increased complications and patient mortality. Despite the findings, no arrests have been made. The trust received a ‘requires improvement’ rating for patient safety from the Care Quality Commission in May 2023, with ongoing investigations expected to take time.
Police have reportedly launched investigations into more than 200 surgical deaths or injuries in Sussex.
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust is one of the largest NHS Trusts in the South East of England.
According to ITV News, the whistleblowers raised concerns about general surgery and neurosurgery.
The number of cases has doubled since police began investigating in 2023.
Sussex Police reportedly took more than 130 statements and prepared 550 reports during the investigation.
No arrests have been made at this time.
In 2023, police began investigating the deaths of around 40 people at Brighton’s Royal Sussex County Hospital over five years.
The medical negligence claims were made by two consultant surgeons who lost their jobs after blowing the whistle on patient safety, the Guardian reported.
Ambulance passing by the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton
Krishna Singh, a former clinical director of surgery at the hospital, claimed he lost his job after raising the alarm about several deaths.
Singh argued that cost-cutting efforts were “enforced to be highly unsafe, ultimately driving up complication rates and patient mortality.”
He also claimed that surgeons were promoted before they were fully competent and that surgeons who lacked the necessary skills were being “overworked.”
Both whistleblowers claimed the trust failed to properly investigate the deaths, which occurred between 2015 and 2020, and learn from the mistakes it made.
The trust was last inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in October 2022.
A report published on May 23 downgraded the trust, giving it a ‘requires improvement’ rating for patient safety.
Sussex Police said it was carrying out a thorough and transparent investigation, but acknowledged it was likely to “take some time” to complete.
A spokesperson for Sussex University Hospital said it was co-operating fully with Sussex Police.
Police are investigating more than 200 cases of surgical deaths and injuries
This follows the launch of an investigation into infant deaths at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust in 2023.
Dozens of infants died or were seriously injured in the maternity wards of Queen’s Medical Center and City Hospital.
The families then faced a battle to get answers from the hospital, citing a lack of transparency.
Nottingham City has admitted its maternity services were unsafe and paid around £90 million in compensation.
These claims related to dozens of deaths, stillbirths, and 46 cases of infants with damage to the left side of their brains due to mistakes.
