Man left ‘a shell of a person’ after surgery wait

A father-of-two has told how he changed from a sociable businessman to "a shell of a person", as a hospital trust is investigated over his care.

Tony Mardell, from East Preston in West Sussex, said he has been living in constant pain with "virtually no interaction with the outside world" after waiting more than a year for surgery to remove a benign brain tumour.

The care he and other patients received from University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UHSussex) is under investigation by Sussex Police as part of Operation Bramber.

The trust said it was cooperating with police.

Mr Mardell, 63, said he now relies on his wife Sandra, their two children, aged 16 and 21, and a team of carers.

“I am trapped in my chair every day," he said.

"My quality of life is so poor that I believe without my family and friends, I couldn’t continue with life.

“I’m constantly in pain and have very limited mobility."

When an MRI scan detected a meningioma in September 2020, Mr Mardell was assured "it should cause no symptoms", according to Slater and Gordon Lawyers.

In May 2021 - after eight months of increasingly severe headaches and seizures - doctors said he needed surgery.

It was scheduled for August 2021, then delayed three times until "he had a life-threatening seizure", said the legal firm, which also represents other patients involved in Operation Bramber.

Mr Mardell has since had several surgeries and now has permanent mobility problems.

“I used to be a very sociable person, I enjoyed playing tennis and ran a successful business, but now I have virtually no interaction with the outside world," said Mr Mardell.

"Because adaptations haven’t yet been made to our house, I haven’t had a shower in over a year.

“I feel like a shell of a person and we receive no support.

"I have worked all my life, but now our savings are almost wiped out as we try to survive after what has happened."

Prof Katie Urch, chief medical officer at UHSussex, said: "We support the work of Sussex Police, and we are cooperating fully as they progress their enquiries."

She added: “We are unable to comment on cases included in an ongoing police investigation, but of course we understand just how difficult this has been for everyone involved, and how difficult it continues to be."

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