A NEW law that gives next-of-kin the right to urgently review treatment options for their loved ones could be introduced in Jersey following the death of a “vulnerable” mother left in “severe and unmanaged” pain for over three days after a gallbladder operation.
Susan Jane Brizell (72) began experiencing “relentless” pain after undergoing a procedure to have a gallstone blocking her bile duct removed on Thursday 13 November 2025.
Ms Brizell – known affectionately by her friends and family as Sue – then tragically died the following Monday in the Hospital’s intensive care unit, having developed sepsis in the aftermath of the procedure.
An inquest held at Morier House this week found that hospital staff had failed to both recognise the “significant signs” of sepsis and “adequately investigate” the source of her extreme pain.
Her loved ones are now demanding that a new law bearing Sue’s name be adopted in Jersey to give family members the automatic right to a second clinical opinion.
They hope that the law will mirror Martha’s Law, which was rolled out in the UK following the 2021 death of 13-year-old Martha Mills, who died of sepsis in hospital after her family’s concerns were ignored.
In a statement read out during the inquest, Ms Brizell’s daughter Amanda Littleton – who is based in Chester – said that she had raised the possibility of sepsis with a staff nurse as early as Saturday evening after noticing the extent of her mother’s pain.
But she told the hearing that her concerns were “dismissed” by the staff nurse, who instead assured her that a doctor was “keeping an eye” on her mother.
“I even asked about booking a flight, as the situation to me felt very serious, but again [the nurse] confirmed it was not necessary and made me think I was being an overbearing relative in the way she responded,” she wrote.
Her twin brother, John, who lives in Jersey, added in his statement that he had found his mum in “considerable distress and pain” during a hospital visit on the day of the operation.
He referred to a “complete breakdown in communication” between him and hospital staff over the subsequent days, during which he was repeatedly “kept out of the loop” on the status of Ms Brizell’s clinical condition.
“No one updated me on Mum’s condition following the operation, no doctor contacted me from Thursday to Saturday – and I assumed that no news is good news,” he said.
The inquest heard that Ms Brizell was then treated for sepsis with antibiotics on Saturday evening, but that this was not communicated to the family.
The next day, she was taken to the ICU, with a potential operation to address her post-operation pain deemed unviable due to her septic condition.
“We all spent time with her [on a video call] together,” Mrs Littleton stated. “I was speaking to Mum and comforting her. There were some moments of lucidity, but she was very scared, panicky and struggling to breathe – she asked ‘I’m not dying, am I?'”
With her condition continuing to deteriorate, the family made the “horrendous” decision to withdraw treatment.
“We decided that Mum would not have wanted to be a burden,” Mr Brizell wrote. “She passed away at around 14.25pm. The ICU staff were absolutely brilliant with my Mum – I only wish she had been there and not on the ward.”
Giving evidence, surgeon Jon Shenfine told the inquest that clinicians had, in retrospect, “significantly underplayed” how dangerous the operation to have Ms Brizell’s gallbladder stone removed would be.
The inquest further heard that a “stricture” to her bile duct – an abnormal narrowing of the tubes that carry bile from the liver and gallbladder into the small intestine – meant that her chances of survival in almost any context were “extremely limited”.
William Roche – professor of pathology at Southampton University – nevertheless stated in his evidence as an external expert pathologist that more could have been done to support Sue after the operation.
He focused on blood test results seen by clinicians on Friday 14 November that showed an “extremely elevated” white blood cell level “entirely consistent with sepsis”.
He added that the white blood cell levels then “dropped precipitously” on the Saturday, a phenomenon he referred to as a tell-tale sign of the life-threatening infection.
Professor Roche surmised that clinicians responsible for monitoring Ms Brizell had demonstrated a lack of “suspicion”, “awareness” and “clinical curiosity” in relation to the life-threatening infection.
“Her chances of survival would have been better if sepsis had been recognised sooner,” he concluded. “But I don’t think that would have necessarily guaranteed a successful outcome.”
A patient safety incident report compiled following the “vulnerable” Islander’s death was then read into the record by acting coroner Dr Deryn Evans.
The report identified a multitude of failings across the Hospital’s post-operative care strategy, including “delays in escalating Sue’s deterioration to a consultant” and a “lack of communication with Sue and her next-of-kin”.
It also noted that the beloved mother’s “escalating pain” had not been “adequately investigated or considered” by hospital staff.
Deputy medical director John McInerney told the inquest that the hospital had ushered in a raft of changes in the wake of Ms Brizell’s death.
He said that the Health Department has now appointed a “sepsis nurse educator”, and also adopted new NICE guidance on sepsis that came into effect at the end of 2025.
Concluding the inquest, Dr Evans found that the family’s “voices were not adequately heard” and their “concerns not listened to” as sepsis took hold.
“To that end, as part of the prevention of future death report, I will recommend an established policy or law to reflect Martha’s Law in the UK – which will allow family members to seek a second opinion.”
“I appreciate that this will require significant resourcing across the hospital,” she added. “But today’s inquest is evidence of the need for something like this.”
Speaking following the inquest, Mrs Littleton described her mother as “full of love,” “full of life,” and a “person that least deserved what she went through”.
“She hasn’t always had it easy in her life,” she said. “So to know that she ended her life in the way that she did is really traumatic.”
Ms Brizell’s daughter-in-law Courtney added that she was the kind of person who “would adopt everybody and care for everybody”.
“She had so much love to give, and she constantly gave it,” she explained. “And she suffered three whole days in pain without them actually doing anything properly.”
The family agreed that the adoption of a ‘Sue’s Law’ in Jersey would go some way to honouring her memory.
“It’s so hard to think that she wasn’t heard,” Mrs Littleton reflected. “And we hope that this law will prevent this happening to another family like ours.”
Merope Mills, the mother of Martha – whom the NHS policy requirement Martha’s Rule was named after – told the JEP that “all the data from hospitals in England shows that Martha’s Rule is a highly effective way of saving lives without a huge allocation of resources”.
“Families and caregivers by the bedside often know a patient best and can be accurate observers of a deterioration,” she added.
“Invoking Martha’s Rule has proved a benefit for doctors and nurses as well as patients: it is a safety net, but also one that radically improves medical culture by giving patients and families more power and a clearer voice.
“It has not been abused or overused, has saved up to 500 lives in England, and points the way to more active patient involvement in care.”
Dr McInerney said: “On behalf of Health and Care Jersey, I would like to send my deepest sympathies to Ms Brizell’s family.
“When a patient dies unexpectedly in our care, Health and Care Jersey is committed to learning from the incident and taking action to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.
“We accept the findings of the assistant coroner and her prevention of future deaths finding.
“The HCJ executive team will lead on actions in response to the finding, and will update the Coroner and Ms Brizell’s family on progress against this moving forward.”
