Further resource added to Operation Bramber investigation

Sussex Police is advertising for criminal investigators to join Operation Bramber, which is looking into more than 100 cases – which include over 40 fatalities – against two surgery departments at the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

The job advert, reported the BBC, referenced an investigation into “potential offences of manslaughter by gross negligence and corporate manslaughter by gross negligence”.

Operation Bramber involves allegations relating to neurosurgery and general surgery at the Brighton hospital, managed by the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, between 2015 and 2021.

The volume and complexity of the investigation, which was launched in May 2023, is understood to be such that Sussex Police are adding further resource to its team.

Earlier this year, the force established an online portal for people to submit information they believe may be relevant to the growing investigation.

Separately, the Trust has recently confirmed it has frozen recruitment of all non-clinical staff, in addition to a number of senior medical roles, amidst a budget deficit of £128million.

While the Trust has assured services will not be cut, recruitment will be paused in a number of areas - although last year alone the organisation hired an extra 720 full-time-equivalent staff to help deliver its services.

The crisis-hit Trust says it is co-operating with the police investigation into allegations against the Royal Sussex, which was launched following concerns from whistleblowers who claimed that attempts had been made to silence them amidst a “Mafia-like” working environment. Reports by the CQC and Royal College of Surgeons have confirmed a ‘culture of fear’ at the Trust.

Two surgeons who worked at the Royal Sussex – Dr Mansour Foroughi and Dr Krishna Singh – have since spoken publicly to claim they told leaders at the Trust that patients were dying unnecessarily nearly five years before police became involved.

Slater and Gordon is acting for growing numbers of families and individuals who have been impacted by poor standards of care at the Royal Sussex and wider Trust, including several whose cases form part of Operation Bramber.

“While it is assuring to know that police are adding further resource to their investigation, it gives some indication of the vast scale of what they are dealing with that they are having to recruit new expertise,” says Nisha Sharma, Principal lawyer and clinical negligence specialist who is based in Brighton.

“Huge numbers of families are impacted by this investigation, who have already suffered greatly through their experiences of sub-standard care at the Royal Sussex, so we hope Operation Bramber can make progress with the addition of the new investigators to help give them the answers they need and deserve.

“Living and working in Brighton, I am fully aware of the concern that exists in this community about the care and services provided by this hospital – and the fact the Trust are pausing recruitment amidst such a significant budget deficit gives no assurance that much-needed improvements will be made. This is a clearly a very difficult time for University Hospitals Sussex, but crucially also for those who rely on it for essential healthcare services.

“We are acting for many families who have experienced sub-standard care at the Royal Sussex, with more approaching us all the time for support in understanding what happened to them – we would urge anyone with any concerns to get in touch.”