Great Ormond Street reviews 700 children treated by ex-surgeon

Great Ormond Street Hospital is one of the top hospitals for children in the world.

Great Ormond Street Hospital is currently conducting a thorough examination of the files of over 700 patients due to worries surrounding a previous surgeon.

The hospital has reported that out of 39 cases they have reviewed, 22 children have experienced some form of harm. They are taking these concerns very seriously.

Yaser Jabbar, a skilled orthopedic surgeon, provided treatment to 721 patients while working in the hospital's lower limb reconstruction service from 2017 until he resigned in September of the previous year.

The evaluation was initially shared by the Sunday Times, which also mentioned having reviewed a private report by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) that criticized the overall environment at GOSH.

Elizabeth Maliakal, a lawyer who specializes in cases involving medical mistakes, is working with families whose children have suffered nerve and muscle injuries.

"We work with a patient who has had a surgery to remove part of his leg. We also have clients with lasting physical abnormalities who have had surgeries that were not actually needed," she informed the BBC.

GOSH stated that they have reached out to all 721 patients or their families multiple times and will remain in contact throughout the evaluation process.

The hospital stated that it had requested the RCS to assess the broader pediatric orthopedic service in 2022 upon learning about the worries expressed by patients' families and staff.

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) raised issues regarding a previous surgeon and certain practices within the hospital. Because of this, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) started conducting patient reviews starting in April of this year.

This procedure will take 18 months starting from May and will be carried out by five specialist orthopaedic surgeons for children from outside the hospital, according to GOSH.

Out of the 39 cases looked at, 22 children were discovered to have experienced harm. Nine were considered to have experienced mild to moderate harm, while 13 were classified as having severe harm, which could result in lasting injuries.

Moreover, a senior nurse and pediatrician have reviewed 456 cases and determined that they do not require immediate attention.

A representative from GOSH stated that the hospital is dedicated to "taking lessons from each patient we care for, and to being honest and clear with our families when our care doesn't meet the excellent standards we aim for."

They stated: "We have reached out to all patients and their families who have been affected. We have also talked to them about their cases as part of our duty to be open and honest.

We want to apologize sincerely to all of them.

Yaser Jabbar has been unable to practice medicine in the UK since January because his medical license has been revoked.

A leaked version of the RCS report, obtained by the Sunday Times, reportedly discovered that a surgery performed by Mr. Jabbar on a six-year-old boy to straighten and lengthen his legs was deemed "wrong and not appropriate".

The parents of the boy expressed to the newspaper that after the procedure, they were concerned that something was not right. However, when they brought up their worries to Mr. Jabbar, he did not take them seriously.

After getting advice from different experts, they discovered that the frame used for the lengthening procedure was incorrect, reported the Sunday Times.

"After a few days, the brace started to feel less secure and my child was in a great deal of discomfort," the father stated. "You could tell that the bone in his leg was not in the right place, as it felt misaligned and sticking out in the wrong direction."

The report from RCS, which has not been viewed by BBC News, is said to have raised concerns about the lower limb reconstruction service at the hospital, stating that it is not safe for patients and does not meet the demand. The report also described the orthopaedic department as dysfunctional.

GOSH did not provide all the details of the findings, but they acknowledged them and are working to implement all the suggestions given.

The BBC reached out to Mr. Jabbar for a response, but he has not replied yet.

According to the Sunday Times, the RCS report has also highlighted worries about how hospital managers did not take action after staff raised concerns about Mr. Jabbar's behavior within six months of his arrival in 2017.

GOSH reported that top executives at the hospital were only informed about the issues in 2022. Despite conducting comprehensive investigations, there are no records of staff raising concerns before this time.

After senior managers were informed, it took 18 days for GOSH to announce that they had hired an external company to conduct a review.

According to the medical register, Mr Jabbar lost his license to practice medicine in the UK on 8 January. It is believed that he is currently employed in Dubai.