Surgeon operates with pocket knife, which he uses to cut up lunch

A surgeon at a crisis-hit NHS trust used a Swiss Army pocket knife to open a patient’s chest because he claimed he couldn’t find a sterile scalpel.

University Hospitals Sussex said the operation was an emergency but the surgeon’s actions were “outside normal procedures and should not have been necessary”.

Prof Graeme Poston, a clinical negligence expert and former consultant surgeon, told the BBC: “It surprises me and appalls me. First, a pocket knife is not sterile. Secondly, it is not a surgical instrument. And thirdly, the whole kit [must have been] There.”

Police are separately investigating at least 105 cases of suspected medical negligence at the foundation and are considering manslaughter charges.

The surgeon in the pocket knife case, who the BBC is not naming, was operating on a patient at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton when he had difficulty finding a scalpel.

Instead, he used a Swiss Army knife, which he usually used to cut fruit for his lunch.

Internal documents reveal that the surgeon’s colleagues found his behavior “questionable” and were “very surprised” that he couldn’t find a scalpel.

The BBC previously reported:

• That’s what four whistleblowers said Patients had died unnecessarily and was “effectively mutilated” in the trust.
• A former surgeon claimed a “Gang culture” was in the neurosurgery department. The same doctor claimed that one surgeon suffered a disproportionate number of deaths and a second performed complex surgeries without appropriate training.
• The doctors admitted an internal review could have saved life They would have acted earlier on student Melissa Zoglie.
• Sussex Police have additional staff hired as part of his manslaughter investigation into the trust.
• A Royal College of Surgeons Review found a “culture of fear” at the trust and suggested senior managers may need to be replaced.
• The trust fought and lost a nine-month legal battle with the BBC and the Times over blocking access to documents and redacting them in two employment tribunal cases.

The BBC has also found that the same surgeon performed three supposedly low-risk operations within two months, with all three patients dying shortly afterwards.

The trust launched a series of internal investigations and concluded all three patients had received “poor care”.

It was also acknowledged that one woman who died “would have survived if there had been no postoperative complications.”

The woman’s daughter, who did not want to be named, said: “We didn’t understand how mother died. No one seemed to know why the operation was unsuccessful.”

“There needs to be a thorough investigation into these deaths, not just an action plan. “That’s not enough.”

The health watchdog Care Quality Commission investigated the deaths and concluded there was no breach of regulations.

University Hospitals Sussex said: “Our investigations did not raise any concerns about the operations themselves, but identified common areas of improvement which we responded to immediately to ensure our services are as safe as possible.”

“This included better communication with patients before and after surgery, improved end-of-life care training and strengthened processes, particularly when care is moved from one location to another.”

Prof Poston said these operations usually had a 1% chance of being fatal.

After reviewing the surgeon’s employment file, which included a long wait for the consultant position, Prof Poston said: “I don’t know this person but you would be concerned that there would be problems as this training progressed and as training progressed gave.”

Shortly before the deaths, operations had been temporarily moved from a larger site in nearby Brighton to Worthing Hospital, contrary to some clinical advice.

The trust’s chief executive, George Findlay, was told by colleagues that they had safety concerns about moving the site. The Trust’s position did not change.

University Hospitals Sussex said the decision to move the practices involved “a thorough process… under the supervision of the leadership team”.

Responding to the wider police investigation into the trust, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are aware of the worrying reports currently being investigated by Sussex Police and our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones .”

“It is important that police officers are given the space and support to properly investigate these matters.

“Sussex Police have confirmed that University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust is cooperating fully with this investigation.”

Dr. George Findlay, chief executive of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I would like to reassure all of our patients and staff that in each of the cases described in this report, thorough investigations have been carried out and action taken where necessary to ensure lessons are learned became.

“We have been in contact with these families to express our sincerest condolences for their loss.

“If we ever fall short of the standards people have a right to expect, we will be open, honest and act quickly to make improvements.

“Our trust faces a number of long-standing challenges and our teams are working hard to overcome them.

“I am proud of the progress they have made and they will be supported to make the further improvements we know are necessary.”