Concern for Great Ormond Street Hospital patients after Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon investigated
Great Ormond Street Hospital is investigating a surgeon who carried out limb lengthening operations on children with a Soviet-era device.
The children’s hospital is understood to be conducting an independent review into the practices of one of its former Orthopaedic Consultants – Mr Yaser Jabbar following concerns from staff and patients about his clinical practice.
It is not yet clear how many families have been affected by Mr Jabbar’s actions, but Great Ormond Street Hospital has confirmed all those impacted have been written to. It apologised for the undue worry and concern this correspondence will cause but says it is committed to conducting the review in a transparent manner.
What has occurred?
Concerns have been raised regarding limb lengthening and reconstruction services provided by Mr Jabbar at Great Ormond Street Hospital between June 2017 and October 2022. These are surgeries which are performed on children who have one bone longer than the other, often caused by a genetic condition or trauma from an accident.
It is reported that Mr Jabbar employed the “Ilizarov frame” in his limb-lengthening surgeries which is a metal tool invented by a Soviet physician that is pinned to a child’s leg with screws designed to gradually stretch and lengthen the patient’s bones. It is not the device that is considered dangerous, but rather Mr Jabbar’s clinical practice.
It is not yet clear what specific allegations have been raised against Mr Jabbar, other than that his practice gave rise to severe safety concerns for his patients. It is further understood that one of his patients is investigating their treatment with a view to initiating medical negligence proceedings.
Investigation
Mr Jabbar ceased practising at Great Ormond Street Hospital in October 2022. It is not clear under what circumstances he left this post, but the Royal College of Surgeons (RSC) was invited to investigate the paediatric orthopaedic lower limb-lengthening and reconstruction/Ilizarov service in February 2023 – approximately four months after his departure. The RSC raised “immediate safety concerns” in March 2023 before finalising its report on 31 October 2023.
Great Ormond Street Hospital has now initiated a further investigation, focusing specifically on those children treated by Mr Jabbar. The hospital has invited a number of independent experts from other paediatric hospitals to review these patients’ medical records. The review will focus on whether the treatment provided by Mr Jabbar was safe. No precise timeline has been provided, but those impacted have been told to expect an update within eight weeks.
Can Mr Jabbar still practise?
On 8 January 2024, Mr Jabbar surrendered his licence, meaning that he can no longer practice medicine in the UK. This came four days after a number of restrictive conditions were imposed upon him by the General Medical Council (GMC) as part of their review into his clinical practice. These conditions included having a clinical supervisor at all times as well as seeking GMC approval before beginning work in a non-NHS post or setting.
Rather than facilitating the GMC in its review, Mr Jabbar instead chose to forfeit his licence and, according to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Jabbar has relocated to Dubai where he has recommenced practicing as an orthopaedic surgeon.
If you/your loved one has been treated by Mr Jabbar
For those affected, it will be very concerning to hear of these allegations, which are sadly not unprecedented. It is always unsettling to hear of a potential scandal involving medical treatment, but it is more upsetting still when children may have been avoidably harmed.
If your child has been treated by Mr Jabbar but you have not been contacted by Great Ormond Street Hospital about this, it may be sensible to contact the hospital directly. Unfortunately, no direct correspondence line has been set up for those impacted, but the hospital can be contacted on its main line 0207 405 9200 and via its website.
In addition to seeking information from Great Ormond Street Hospital, it is also vital that anyone affected seeks independent legal advice. Bolt Burdon Kemp is a leading medical negligence firm with over 35 years’ experience in acting for people who have been injured due to substandard treatment. More specifically, our Medical Negligence team has already acted for a number patients who have suffered as a result of ‘rogue’ or incompetent orthopaedic surgeons.
A medical negligence claim will provide patients with a formal legal investigation into what has happened, with evidence from independent medical experts. It will seek to compensate the patients for their past and future pain, suffering and financial losses. It will allow patients peace of mind and funds for them to get the care and treatment they need to move forward with their lives.
