Sussex Police said the scope of the investigation relating to allegations of medical negligence at neurosurgery and general surgery at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton between 2015 and 2021 remained unchanged.

Neither Sussex Police nor University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust could confirm BBC reports that the number of cases being investigated has almost doubled since 2023 from 105 to over 200.

A Sussex Police spokesperson said: ‘A dedicated team of officers are progressing enquiries and engaging with involved patients and families to provide information and support while this is ongoing.

‘Individual cases have also started to be reviewed by specialist consultant surgeons, commissioned to provide expert medical opinion. The consultants are totally independent of University Hospitals Sussex

NHS Foundation Trust and have undergone a nationally accepted vetting process.

‘The medical experts will report on their findings and their evaluation will be considered alongside information obtained from our police enquiries to determine whether cases will be taken forward in the investigation, and if so which ones. Those that do not currently meet a criminal threshold will be withdrawn, and this will be communicated to patients and families directly by the investigation team.'

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘We are unable to publicly discuss matters relating to an ongoing police inquiry, but we are cooperating fully with Sussex Police and will continue to do whatever we can to support them in their work.'