Call to suspend medics under police investigation

A Sussex woman is calling for medical professionals to be suspended during police investigations to safeguard both patients and practitioners.

Charlotte Smart said her mother, Sarah Shaddock, was paralysed and had to use a wheelchair following an operation at a hospital in Brighton.

Ms Smart said there was a "troubling gap" regarding surgeons or consultants who were under active investigation by the police.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the General Medical Council (GMC) could request an interim restriction on a clinician's registration if there was thought to be "an immediate risk to patient safety".

The care Ms Smart's mother received from the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust at the Royal Sussex County hospital is being investigated by Sussex Police as part of Operation Bramber, which is looking into at least 200 cases of alleged medical negligence.

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Source: BBC, Tuesday 26 August 2025