The care provided to 721 patients at one of NHS’s top children’s hospitals is undergoing a thorough review, following a probe uncovering grave harm inflicted on children during limb reconstruction surgeries. The hospital in question is the famous Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London. The Sunday Times reported instances of debilitating damage, in some cases, persisting for a lifetime.
Certain children now have a discrepancy in leg length of up to 20cm. Moreover, years post-treatment, others live in uncontrollable pain, while there’s a case of needless amputation. A third-party assessment involving 39 out of the 721 patients revealed that about a third suffered severe harm, half that number were subject to low to moderate harm, and a couple of cases got assigned for peer evaluation. The remaining patients did not experience any harm.
The orthopaedic surgeon under scrutiny is Yaser Jabbar. His aptitude came under question following a request by the hospital to the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) in 2022 to inspect the efficacy of its paediatric surgery wing, spurred by dissatisfaction among staff and families over the delivered care.
“RCS’s review raised concerns around a no-longer-employed surgeon’s practice, along with other practices within the department,” commented a GOSH representative. They continued, “These issues are being treated with utmost concern. The surgeon’s patients have all been contacted, whilst a team of objective experts from other children’s hospitals are investigating the care of this particular surgeon’s patients. We sincerely regret the anxiousness and ambiguity this review might breed.”
Among the 13 severely harmed was an infant as young as only four months, according to the Sunday Times. GOSH finds itself in murky waters, facing critical questions regarding its handling of the concerns about Jabbar after it was accused by parents for being sluggish and dismissive of their complaints.
Claiming everything was systematically ignored by GOSH, a dismayed parent confessed to the paper, “Our repeated attempts raising concerns through the formal grievance procedure were futile. Even after numerous emails were marked to the medical director, we received no response,” the parent wished to remain anonymous.
In response to allegations raised, the hospital denied all accusations and stated that senior managerial staff had called upon the RCS for a comprehensive examination just 18 workdays after they realised the worries expressed by both staff members and the families associated.
In the month of April, the hospital set in motion an “improvement programme for the review of orthopaedic services.” They are currently in charge of the ongoing investigation into looking at patients under Jabbar’s care and looking further into general service enhancement.
The RCS uncovered that the orthopaedic surgery wing at Gosh’s presented several operational dysfunctions. The working conditions mimicked a political establishment and it was reported by the Sunday Times that the conduct of some consultants could be characterised as “hierarchical”, “archaic”, and “inappropriate”. The behaviour of Jabbar left many parents feeling frightened, with some even requesting different surgeons for their children’s treatment.
Gosh’s official statement mentioned imminent corrective actions and emphasised their commitment to address all findings from the review swiftly and to take lessons from the broader cultural aspects.
Legal proceedings have been initiated by the parents of some affected children against Gosh. Caroline Murgatroyd from Hudgell Solicitors, who represents them, noted a history of “significant shortcomings in patient care”.
Jabbar, thought to be presently in Dubai, did not provide a comment when contacted by the paper. Despite not engaging with any work at the Trust for 11 months prior to his overseas relocation, Jabbar received full salary, as the paper further elaborated. – The Guardian