Sussex Police expand NHS death and injury inquiry to heart patients

A major investigation into the care of more than 200 NHS cases has been expanded to include a "small number" of heart patients, confirms Sussex Police. The force is looking into allegations of medical negligence at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton between 2015 and 2021 as part of Operation Bramber. Officers are examining claims about preventable deaths and injuries in the trust's neurosurgery and general surgery departments. University Hospital Sussex NHS Trust, which runs seven hospitals across East and West Sussex, said it would continue to "fully co-operate" with the police investigation. Initially, 40 deaths were investigated as part of Operation Bramber, which was launched by the police in 2023, after both a coroner and two consultant surgeons at the hospital raised concerns. A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: "As a result of a further witness coming forward during the course of the investigation, police are now starting to review a small number of cases relating to cardiothoracic surgery at the Royal Sussex County Hospital." And added: "Cases relating to neurosurgery and general surgery at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton between 2015 and 2021 have