RELATIVES of two men who suffered injuries at a care home want the incidents to be included as part of an ongoing police investigation.

Sussex Police are investigating nine homes run by Sussex Care Homes following complaints of neglect about 43 residents.

Twelve of those involved have died.

Matthew Bates and Gary Lewis suffered fractured thighs at Beech Lodge near Horsham in 2015 but the cases are not part of the current probe.

Both cases have been investigated by West Sussex County Council and police but no charges were brought.

Mr Lewis, who was 64 at the time, and Mr Bates, who was then 30, both have cerebral palsy and limited communication.

In an interview their families said both men were taken to hospital on the same day and a safeguarding alert was triggered.

Sussex Health Care said it had co-operated fully with the investigations in 2015.

Mr Lewis had a complete split of his left femur and Mr Bates suffered a severe mid-shaft fracture to his right thigh at the home.

Mr Bates’s father Mark said in an interview something had gone “desperately wrong”.

Mr Lewis’s brother Martyn said: “That this can happen once and then twice in such a short space of time seems to indicate there is something systemically wrong with the care being offered.

“We need to know what happened to our lads.”

The men’s fractures were mended with metal plates and screws and neither returned to Beech Lodge.

In a statement, the force said: “Following a full investigation no criminal charges were brought in relation to their case.”

A serious case review has been commissioned by the West Sussex safeguarding adults board in relation to the incidents.

The review is conducted by an independent author and is currently being compiled.

It will be published in due course.

Sussex Health Care said Beech Lodge supported people with complex needs.

These included physical conditions such as osteoporosis, which can make bones very brittle.

The firm said both cases were subject to comprehensive safeguarding investigations at the time, involving the county and the police.

It said the investigations found no evidence of poor handling or any other wrong-doing.

Beech Lodge is one of the nine homes currently being investigated by police.

The force is looking at the standard of care in individual cases since April 2015.

The Care Quality Commission recently published findings from inspections it carried out at some of Sussex Health Care’s properties.

Inspectors found Woodhurst Lodge in Crawley, Rapkyns Nursing Home in Horsham, Longfield Manor in Billingshurst and Kingsmead Lodge in Horsham required improvement.

The CQC did not examine specific safeguarding allegations which have formed part of the investigation.

However the commission did use the information raised by other agencies to plan what areas to inspect and to judge the safety and quality of the services.