Instances double as NHS belief investigates deaths and accidents

BBC News can reveal {that a} police investigation into allegations of preventable deaths and accidents at an NHS belief has doubled the variety of circumstances it’s .

Claims middle on care and remedy supplied by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust between 2015 and 2021.

Sussex Police to start investigating preliminary 105 circumstances in 2023, however BBC file on 4 Investigates revealed That quantity is now greater than 200.

The pressure says the investigation is “active and ongoing” nevertheless it “will not provide specific details regarding case numbers at this time”.

Police turned concerned after two whistleblowers alleged medical negligence in two departments of the belief – neurosurgery and normal surgical procedure, together with issues about at the very least 40 deaths.

The enhance in circumstances is linked to extra households contacting police.

Separately to this investigation, we now have spoken to the household of a affected person who alleges {that a} senior surgeon within the belief's normal surgical procedure division “lied” to them earlier than performing an operation that left him with life-threatening accidents.

Wendy Gibbs, 80, was to be operated on by Mark Lama to restore pelvic prolapse at a non-public hospital in Brighton, run by Nuffield Health. But the surgeon advised her he wished to modify to the process at a special Nuffield hospital as a result of the Brighton website didn’t have a particular sort of scanner she would want. It was discovered that the machine was not obtainable in different hospitals additionally.

Mr Lamah additionally failed to inform Mrs Gibbs that he and different surgeons had been prevented from finishing up such operations in Brighton on the time, as a result of Nuffield Health had suspended that sort of surgical procedure attributable to security issues.

When Mrs Gibbs had surgical procedure in March 2024, Mr Lama by chance minimize her gut, inflicting inside bleeding that went unnoticed for hours. Mrs. Gibbs develops sepsis, a life-threatening situation.

He required an emergency second operation on the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton – which was additionally carried out by Mr Lama, which is a part of the NHS belief beneath investigation. This was adopted by intensive care and 11 days of unconsciousness.

Mrs Gibbs, who now has a everlasting stoma bag, says she was traumatized by the expertise. “He failed me, he betrayed my trust. I've been left with a lot of problems because of the operation. Most of my hair fell out. My nails fell out. It's coming back now, but there's a real difference between it and what not.” The trauma of attending to do something about it – it's not simple.”

Wendy Gibbs' case is not part of the police investigation because her treatment occurred after the period the police are considering.

Nuffield Health – the private healthcare provider at whose hospital the first operation took place – said it was conducting a “thorough investigation by a specialist marketing consultant”.

It added: “As the investigation continues to be ongoing, we’re unable to remark.”

However, a former director of clinical services at Nuffield's Brighton Hospital – where Mr Lama also practiced privately – said that in 2023, the company had recognized concerns about his complication rates.

Michael Turner told us that the data showed that a third of Mr Lama's patients had experienced a “reasonable hurt occasion” over a 12-month period (for example, a patient had to be transferred to another hospital or Had to recruit from). Mr Turner said the figure should have been less than 5%.

Three months ago, Michael Turner was sacked by Nuffield Health for gross misconduct after he used a profanity to describe the actions of a different consultant.

Mr Lamah will continue to work at the Royal Sussex County Hospital. University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust told us it had audited her NHS data, which showed her results were within the expected national range.

A spokesperson said, “If there may be any proof of issues relating to the care of our NHS sufferers, we definitely don’t hesitate to take motion.”

Speaking anonymously, a former NHS colleague of Mr Lamah told the BBC that the surgeon had been “pulled up on a number of events for issues that had been fairly unprofessional”.

The colleague says one of these occasions was related to an emergency operation, when Mr Lama announced he was challenging himself to finish it in 45 minutes, even though there was no requirement to do so.

We contacted Mark Lamah, but he declined to comment.

The BBC has reported a number of stories from University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust over the past two years:

Police officers are currently identifying relevant cases and referring them to medical experts to seek their opinion on whether there are grounds to question the care these patients receive – a process that is expected to end in early 2025. are supposed to. The investigation is in the early stages and there are no suspects at this stage.

The majority of cases appear to involve the neurosurgery department. Police are considering charges of murder by gross negligence and corporate manslaughter.

The File on 4 Investigations understands that the case of Stephen Coles is one of a number of cases being examined by medical experts as part of the police investigation. His operation was performed by a neurosurgeon named Carl Hardwitz, who spent 31 years working at the Trust before leaving in 2023. He has been criticized by the family of Mr Coles, who died in 2021 after Mr Hardwidge operated on him to remove the brain. Tumor.

After the surgery, Mr Coles, who was 66, was unable to swallow due to cranial nerve damage. He then spent several weeks in hospital where he eventually died after suffering from pneumonia due to poor care in the general ward.

His sister Julie Rhodes says Mr Hardwidge never told the family why Mr Coles was so ill after the operation. The inquiry raised no concerns about the care Mr Coles received, a finding which left Ms Rhodes “dissatisfied” as he “didn’t reply any questions.”

However, a neurological expert who assessed the case for BBC News said that Stephen Coles' death could have been avoided, and criticized Mr Hardwidge's post-operative care. He said Mr Coles should have had a tracheostomy fitted to help him breathe.

“The responsibility for protecting the patient's airway should lie with the surgeon performing the operation,” the expert said.

File 4 investigators are aware that concerns have been raised about the care provided to at least three other patients by Carl Hardwitz while he worked at the trust.

An employment tribunal judge also said he was “considerably involved” that Mr Hardavige, during his evidence, had tried to minimize delays in care for another patient who died in 2012.

When File On 4 Investigates contacted Mr. Hardwitz, he declined to comment.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust said its neurosurgery team has faced significant challenges since 2012, and as a result some patients are waiting longer than expected for their care, “for which we sincerely apologize.” Ask for”.

The trust says it is cooperating with the police investigation and admits it has a lot of work to do to improve its performance. In a statement, the chief executive, George Findlay, said that since a new leadership team was installed in 2017, there have been a number of improvements in quality and safety.

“Despite these and other improvements,” Mr Findlay said, “it is clear that some long-standing challenges remain, and it is also quite clear that we need to improve care and better support colleagues. There's a lot to do.”