Support For Those Impacted By Allegations Of Medical Negligence At The Royal Sussex County Hospital

• Published date: 21 June 2023
• Subject Matter: Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration, Food, Drugs, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Personal Injury, Professional Negligence
• Law Firm: Thomson Snell & Passmore
• Author: Mr James Cahan

There have been widespread reports that Sussex Police has launched an investigation into a number of deaths at Brighton's Royal Sussex County Hospital due to alleged clinical negligence.

Up to 40 deaths are being looked into after both a coroner and two consultant surgeons at the hospital, which is part of the University Hospital Sussex NHS Trust, raised concerns. Both the consultant 'whistle blowers' highlighted patient safety errors in the general surgery and neurosurgery departments between 2015 and 2020 and allege the trust failed to properly investigate the deaths and learn from the mistakes made. They subsequently lost their jobs at the trust.

Sussex police has now written to the trust's chief executive, George Findlay, confirming they are investigating allegations of "criminal culpability through medical negligence" made by "two separate clinical consultants" at the trust.

The police investigation follows on from the Care Quality Commission downgrading the trust last month, giving it a ''requires improvement'' rating for patient safety.

What can you do if you have been impacted by the allegations of medical negligence at the Royal Sussex County Hospital?

This investigation is of course distressing for the family and loved ones of those who have sadly died, who will no doubt be very concerned to hear of these allegations.

It will also be alarming for any patients under the care of the hospital during that time period, who feel they may have had negligent treatment.

It is important to remember that the majority of healthcare is performed safely and that patient safety is a priority. However, sometimes things do go wrong with medical treatment and when this happens many people do not know where to turn for help and answers.

The first step is to make a complaint about the healthcare provided. Under the NHS Constitution all patients have the right to have...