The number of patient deaths being investigated as possible manslaughter at a troubled NHS hospital has more than doubled to 90, reveals The Guardian.

Allegedly suspicious deaths, up from an initial total of 40, have forced Sussex police to ask the Home Office for additional resources to address its expanding inquiry into University Hospitals Sussex (UHS), known as Operation Bramber.

The inquiry 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 growing internal concerns within the trust about surgeons who continue to operate at the hospital, despite their alleged negligence being reviewed by police. A group of anaesthetists recently sought guidance on what to tell patients inquiring about the safety of surgeons about to operate on them.

There have been calls to suspend some surgeons while police investigate, with a source suggesting that the trust has been reluctant to show that they have made mistakes. Earlier this month, it was revealed that Sussex police are considering possible corporate and individual manslaughter charges and are reviewing 90 deaths and more than 100 cases of serious harm, with the help of a team of independent surgeons.

There is also concern about the inexperience of some surgeons operating at the hospital. One emergency surgeon not on the General Medical Council’s specialist register was responsible for a “never event” in 2016, when medical equipment was left inside a patient after an operation.

UHS has faced a series of inspection reports and was recently ranked among the five worst trusts in England. A source close to the investigation said that the number of deaths being assessed by police has increased to 90, leading to difficulties and a request for extra help from the Home Office.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/feb/25/90-deaths-at-hospital-in-brighton-being-investigated-as-possible-manslaughter