‘Seek support in finding answers over Great Ormond Street treatment’

The cases centre on the work of Yaser Jabbar, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon who worked at the world-famous children’s hospital from 2017 until he left in September last year.

It is understood there are 721 patients included in the investigation, with Great Ormond Street Hospital confirming that 22 children in 39 cases looked at so far had come to some degree of harm.

Of those, 13 were classified as suffering “severe harm” with potentially life-long consequences. Many will need years of ongoing treatment.

The cases included in the review are understood to include a wide range of injuries and life-changing outcomes as a result of their limb operations, including amputations and nerve and muscle damage.

The review process will last 18 months and will be undertaken by five external paediatric orthopaedic surgical consultants, the hospital said.

Great Ormond Street Hospital also confirmed that in 2022 it had asked the Royal College of Surgeons to review its wider paediatric orthopaedic service, after becoming aware of concerns from patients’ families and staff.

Mr Jabbar was previously hailed as an expert in limb reconstruction, but has not had a licence to practice medicine in the UK since January. He is now understood to be working in Dubai.

“This will be hugely concerning for so many families who have entrusted the care of their children to Great Ormond Street Hospital, and who now have to live with the consequences of the poor standards of care they received,” says Emma Doughty, head of our clinical negligence team.

“We know that 721 children are currently involved in this investigation, which is utterly shocking. This is a staggering number of cases relating to one surgeon, with no pattern of concern being identified seemingly until at least 2022. Clearly, there are a lot of questions for Great Ormond Street Hospital to answer here.

“We believe families impacted by this investigation have been informed by the hospital, but we would urge anyone with any concerns relating to Mr Jabbar or their wider care within the orthopaedic department to come forward. We want families who have any questions or issues with the treatment their child has received to feel empowered to speak up and to seek support in finding the answers they need.

“Hopefully the fact that Great Ormond Street Hospital has acknowledged the urgent need for this review, and has confirmed the vast scale of it, will enable families to feel they can come forward if they have not done so previously.”

If you have experienced negligent medical care at Great Ormond Street Hospital, contact us online today.