A major independent review has found that nearly 100 children were harmed by a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) in London. The review examined 789 patients treated by Yaser Jabbar between 2017 and 2022, concluding that 94 children came to harm as a direct result of his actions, with 91 having been operated on by him.
Of those harmed, 36 suffered severe hurt, including delayed diagnoses or failed surgeries, 39 moderate harm, and 19 mild harm. Some children were left with legs up to 20cm shorter than the other, chronic pain, and one child had a limb amputated which experts said could have been avoided. The remaining 642 patients were not harmed.
Matthew Shaw, chief executive of Gosh, expressed profound apology and said the hospital has made significant changes to its orthopaedic service and across the hospital to minimise future risks. Jabbar, who now works in the United Arab Emirates, no longer holds a licence to practise medicine in the UK.
NHS England has announced its own independent review, due to start in February, focusing on potential governance failures. An NHS England London spokesperson said the issues raised are deeply distressing and that they are commissioning a patient safety investigation to examine how Gosh responded when potential harm was identified.
Lawyers representing affected families criticised the review process, stating that too few families were consulted. Julia Reynolds of Leigh Day said families were again treated as peripheral to the learning process, echoing concerns raised by Martha's law about late listening to families.
