Great Ormond Street Hospital: Children left in pain by surgeon's 'inappropriate and unnecessary' leg operations, reviews find
8 September 2024, 11:12 | Updated: 8 September 2024, 18:08
Young patients of a surgeon have been left in ongoing pain with nerve damage after "inappropriate and unnecessary" operations on their limbs, expert reviews have found.
It has emerged at least one child had to have a leg amputated following procedures carried out by Yaser Jabbar at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), while others suffered leg length discrepancies needing further and prolonged care.
Reviews of medical records carried out by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) found the 43-year-old had caused "serious harm" though "unacceptable" treatment, according to a lawyer acting for the families of a number of children, some as young as just four-months-old when seen by Mr Jabbar.
GOSH has apologised to the patients "who received poor care" and has launched its own investigation into the cases of 721 children treated by the accused surgeon in its orthopaedic department.
It is the latest in a series of scandals to rock the NHS and will again raise questions over the role of senior hospital managers.
Mr Jabbar, who qualified from St George's Hospital Medical School in London, was registered with a licence to practise until January of this year, according to the General Medical Council website.
GOSH said he had not worked there since 2022. The Sunday Times reported he only stepped down from his role last September after an 11-month sabbatical on full pay.
He is now listed as working in Dubai.
Caroline Murgatroyd, from Hudgell Solicitors, who is representing affected families, said the RCS review findings "paint a very worrying picture".
She said: "They outline unacceptable assessments, examinations, clinical decision-making, and treatments of patients, poor communication with families with regards to seeking their consent for treatments and procedures, as well as failures to make it clear what kind of complications children could face after undergoing surgery.
"There are also references to children being subjected to surgeries which the RCS review panel could see no justification for, with children undergoing procedures which brought them no clear benefit.
"The findings so far have been shocking to read and have been very upsetting for our clients."
Ms Murgatroyd added: "In one particular case a child underwent an amputation after having been put through a series of procedures. In this case the review panel found the amputation could possibly have been avoided with a different route of treatment.
"Children have suffered leg length discrepancies following inappropriate and unnecessary surgeries which will require further and prolonged treatment, and nerve injuries causing ongoing pain.
"There is also a lack of documentation over the decision-making process, or about discussing cases with consultant colleagues or the families of children themselves."
The findings indicated there had been "serious failures in care to many patients, over a number of years", she said.
Elizabeth Maliakal, another medical negligence solicitor at Hudgell Solicitors, told Sky News that "very often" cases of childhood medical negligence "don't materialise until adulthood" - meaning many more cases are likely to emerge.
"While some patients are aware now that they have suffered an injury, some patients may well think their treatment has been fine only to find out later on in life that things haven't gone as they ought to," she said.
'Brushed under the carpet'
One of her clients - the father of a child, who was six years old when they underwent a procedure by Mr Jabbar in July 2021 - said they had repeatedly raised concerns with the hospital "but heard nothing back".
He added: "When they did an initial investigation it just seemed that everything was being brushed under the carpet and that was very upsetting.
"It was only at a later stage, when our child was in terrible pain, that we saw another doctor and the hospital admitted that the wrong frame had been used.
"Revision surgery was then needed and our child is still undergoing treatment now, but thankfully we now have a new surgeon, at the same hospital, who has been amazing."
Apology
GOSH said in a statement: "We are deeply sorry to all patients who received poor care and understand that this may have had a significant impact on their health and wellbeing.
"In 2022 we asked the Royal College of Surgeons to review our paediatric orthopaedic service, after concerns were raised by a number of our patient families and staff.
"As part of this, we are carrying out a review into the care of some of our patients.
"We have written directly to all patients and their families whose care is being reviewed so please be assured you would have been contacted if we are looking at your care."
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GOSH added: "The surgeon who is the main focus in the media coverage has not worked at GOSH since 2022.
"Our priority is ensuring that all patients have their care reviewed thoroughly and we are working through the group of patients to understand any issues with their care.
"This is a complex task and is taking some time. If when reviewing a patient's care we find instances of harm we will contact patients and families again to determine the next steps for them.
"We are committed to learning from every single patient that we treat and to being open and transparent with our families when care falls below the high standards we strive for. Inviting external reviews into our services helps us to identify any changes that need to be made to ensure we are delivering the very best care for our patients."
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