Nearly 100 Children Harmed by Surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital

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An independent review uncovers life-changing harm to children, highlighting the voices of families and the urgent need for healthcare reform.

A major independent review into the clinical practice of orthopaedic surgeon Dr Yaser Jabbar has concluded that at least 94 children were harmed under his care at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) between 2017 and 2022, raising urgent questions about patient safety, oversight, and accountability in specialist children’s healthcare.

Who Was Dr Yaser Jabbar?

Dr Yaser Jabbar was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at GOSH whose speciality was lower limb reconstruction, including leg lengthening, deformity correction, and complex bone procedures in children. Over his five-year tenure, he treated hundreds of young patients with congenital and acquired limb conditions.

He no longer holds a licence to practise in the UK and is understood to be living abroad.

What Did the Review Find?

Great Ormond Street Hospital commissioned an independent review, led by expert paediatric orthopaedic surgeons from other UK hospitals, to assess the care given to all of Dr Jabbar’s patients, nearly 800 in total.

The review found that:

94 children were harmed as a result of care provided by Dr Jabbar.
- Of those, 36 suffered severe harm, 39 moderate harm, and 19 mild harm.
Cases included poor surgical planning and technique, incorrect bone cuts, misplacement of implants, and premature removal of medical devices.
Records were often incomplete or unclear, and families reported insufficient counselling about risks and alternatives before procedures.

Types of Harm Suffered

Children harmed by these procedures have reported serious, life-altering consequences, including:

Chronic pain and physical disability
Severe nerve damage or muscle injury
Permanent deformities or functional impairment
Avoidable amputations and additional corrective surgeries
Psychological trauma and loss of quality of life

One young patient, James Wood, now aged 19, underwent surgery at age 12 to stretch knee tissues and lengthen his Achilles tendon. After the operation, he developed extreme pain and vascular damage because a pin from a surgical frame protruded into his thigh, an outcome the review linked to “poor surgical skill.”

Families Left in Distress

Parents and caregivers have described the impact as devastating, physically, emotionally, and financially. Many say they were not adequately informed about the true risks or benefits of the procedures, leaving them feeling blindsided by complications that continue to affect their children’s lives.

Several families had raised concerns internally at the hospital years earlier, only to feel ignored or dismissed, an issue that the independent review has highlighted as part of broader systemic failings.

Hospital Response and Accountability

In its statement, Great Ormond Street Hospital apologised to affected patients and families and acknowledged that care provided under Dr Jabbar fell below expected standards. The hospital has pledged to learn from the findings and implement changes aimed at strengthening surgical governance and patient safety.

The review’s publication also triggers offers of psychological support for affected families and ongoing dialogue about corrective care.

Meanwhile, media reports indicate that the Metropolitan Police are reviewing the findings to determine whether further action is appropriate.

Why This Matters

This case underscores profound issues in how serious clinical concerns are identified and acted upon, not just at GOSH, but across specialised NHS services.

Key lessons include:

The need for stronger monitoring of surgical outcomes at departmental and national levels
Better support and protection for clinicians who raise early warnings
Full transparency for families when procedures go wrong
A renewed focus on patient-centred consent and risk communication

For many families, the review comes long after lasting harm was done. But by exposing the failures that allowed this to happen, there’s an opportunity to push for systemic changes that protect future patients and uphold trust in healthcare.

Conclusion

For the families affected, this review is not merely an administrative exercise; it reflects years of preventable harm, unanswered concerns, and children left with lifelong consequences. While apologies and promises of reform are important, they cannot undo the damage already done. What this case makes painfully clear is that early warnings were missed, oversight mechanisms failed, and opportunities to intervene were lost. Accountability must extend beyond individual clinicians to include institutional governance, clinical leadership, and regulatory systems that allow unsafe practice to continue unchecked. True justice for these children requires more than expressions of regret; it demands transparent investigation, meaningful structural change across the NHS, and a firm commitment that patient safety will never again be compromised by silence, hierarchy, or delayed action.