Nearly 100 children harmed by Great Ormond Street surgeon who botched procedures

Yaser Jabbar specialised in lower limb reconstruction at the hospital for years

Yaser Jabbar treated more than 700 children at Great Ormond Street Hospital (CMC Hospital)

Nearly 100 children suffered harm at the hands of orthopaedic surgeon Yaser Jabbar, a Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) review has concluded.

Hundreds of children were treated by Mr Jabbar, who specialised in lower limb construction, between 2017 and 2022, with a panel of experts stating that his surgery fell below the standard expected.

Of the 94 harmed, 36 children experienced severe harm, while 39 patients sustained moderate harm and 19 suffered mild harm. Many were left in pain, with several going on to need further surgery.

The hospital’s review noted that 642 patients under Mr Jabbar’s care did not suffer harm directly attributable to him.

One seven-year-old boy was subjected to a “completely unsuitable” leg-lengthening surgery which will affect him for the rest of his life, while another 12-year-old was left with a pin going into his thigh due to Mr Jabbar’s “poor surgical skill”.

“There were instances of premature removal of fixation devices, the combination of procedures without clear rationale, inadequate counselling on fracture risk, and an over-reliance on junior staff,” the report said.

“There were some serious problems found, including poor planning before surgery, not making the area stable enough, unclear or incomplete notes, and putting implants in the wrong place.

“Other issues were making cuts in the bone at the wrong level or using the wrong method, making decisions that didn’t match what was seen in the scans during surgery, problems with how frames and pins were used, and not involving the wider team when dealing with infections.”

Many patients came to harm or were left in pain, with several going on to need further surgery (Getty)

James Wood, 19, from Great Yarmouth, first encountered Mr Jabbar when he was referred to him at the age of 12. Mr Wood was born with multiple pterygium syndrome, a rare congenital condition that mainly affects neuromuscular and skeletal functions.

It causes skin webbing across the joints and, in Mr Wood’s case, it limited movement in his knees and ankles.

He was referred to Mr Jabbar in September 2018 and underwent an operation in April 2019 which saw a frame fixed to his leg with the aim of stretching the tissues in his knee. He also underwent an Achilles tendon lengthening procedure.

Just a few weeks later, Mr Wood began to suffer extreme pain and swelling in his right thigh.

An ultrasound identified a large collection of fluid and medics discovered one of the pins used to secure the frame had protruded into Mr Wood’s thigh.

When it was removed, there was a lot of bleeding and surgeons noted damage to his femoral artery. The frame was removed and Mr Wood was then placed in a permanent full-length leg cast to support his leg.

An independent review for Gosh into his treatment found “poor surgical skill” by Mr Jabbar had resulted in a pin going into Mr Wood’s thigh when the frame was fitted.

It said the type of pins used had increased the risk of vascular injury and other pins should have been used.

Mr Wood, a student at the University of East Anglia, said: “I missed a lot of my formative, high school experiences and it left me quite lonely in my childhood because I spent my early teenage years in recovery.

“It was all incredibly traumatic and the pain is still horrifying and has had a long-term impact.”

Analysis of the independent expert case reports into the surgeon’s practice “identified that Mr Jabbar was highly inconsistent in his approach to clinical care with recurrent deficiencies in documentation, assessment, and surgical decision-making”, the report said.

It continued: “Many families said they were not given clear explanations about treatment options, risks, or why certain decisions were made.

“They were often confused about the purpose of procedures, expected results, and alternatives.

“Several families reported raising concerns directly with Mr Jabbar, but they felt these were usually dismissed.”

Mr Jabbar is understood to live abroad and no longer has a licence to practise medicine in the UK.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We are in contact with Great Ormond Street Hospital in relation to this matter.

“We will review the report commissioned by Gosh and assess whether there is any requirement for police involvement.”

Matthew Shaw, chief executive of Gosh, said in a statement: “We are profoundly sorry to all the patients and their families who have been affected by the care provided by Mr Jabbar.

“The report we have published today sets out in full what happened, what we found in our review of patients, what we have learnt and what we have done as a consequence.

“We have made significant changes to both the orthopaedic service itself and across the hospital to minimise the chance of something like this happening again. Many of these changes are designed to help spot potential issues before they become a risk to patient care.

“We know this comes too late for the families affected by this issue, but we are committed to ensuring our hospital is a better and safer place for all current and future patients.”