London’s well-known Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is overseeing an urgent review of the cases of more than 700 patients after concerns were raised about one of its former surgeons.
The hospital said 22 children in 39 cases looked at so far had come to some degree of harm, and that it is taking the concerns “incredibly seriously”.
The BBC reports that the 721 patients were treated by Yaser Jabbar, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon who worked at the hospital’s lower limb reconstruction service from 2017 until he stepped down in September last year.
The review was first reported by the Sunday Times, which also said it had seen a confidential report by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) that was critical of the wider culture at GOSH.
Elizabeth Maliakal, a medical negligence solicitor representing some of the families, said some children had nerve and muscle damage.
“We have a client who has undergone an amputation of his lower limb, others who have permanent deformities and have undergone unnecessary operations as well,” she said.
GOSH said it had contacted all 721 patients or their families on more than one occasion and will continue to be in touch throughout the review process.
The hospital said it had asked the RCS to review the wider paediatric orthopaedic service in 2022, after becoming aware of concerns from patients’ families and staff.
The RCS then raised concerns about the former surgeon, prompting GOSH to initiate the patient reviews from April this year.
This process will last 18 months (from May) and is being undertaken by five external paediatric orthopaedic surgical consultants, GOSH said.
Of the 39 cases reviewed so far, 22 children have been found to have been harmed, with nine classified as suffering “low/moderate” harm and 13 classified as “severe harm”, with potentially lifelong injuries.
In addition, 456 cases have been looked at by a senior nurse and paediatrician but have not been categorised as needing urgent attention.
A GOSH spokesperson said the hospital was committed to ‘learning from every patient we treat, and to being open and transparent with our families when care falls below the high standards we strive for”.
The facility provides more than 67 specialised services, the widest range at any one site in the UK. Specialised services support children with a range of rare and complex conditions, including patients with rare cancers. genetic disorders.
BBC article – Great Ormond Street reviews 700 children treated by ex-surgeon (Open access)
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