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Families of children operated on by a disgraced surgeon have labelled independent reports into their care as a “whitewash” and a “final insult”.
Yaser Jabbar, a former surgeon at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), carried out procedures including leg lengthening and straightening. He also operated on children with complicated disorders.
But some cases linked to him resulted in harm, including life-long injuries and amputation.
Mr Jabbar left the hospital in 2023 after a report by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) found some of the surgery had been “inappropriate” and “incorrect”.
Following the RCS report, GOSH said each of Mr Jabbar’s 723 patients would receive an independent report to conclude what level of harm they had suffered.
The reviews, which are being carried out by specialist surgeons who did not work at GOSH, are based on patient notes provided by the hospital.
Families have started receiving reports about the care their children received. BBC News has now spoken to four families – and had indirect contact with 12 more – who say the reports do not reflect their children’s experiences and often raise more questions than they answer.
Many of the reports were concluded without any interviews or interaction with the family or patient, they say.
Parents describe the reports as part of a “culture of cover-up”, telling the BBC that GOSH has “failed their children”, leaving them physically and mentally damaged.
One mother told us: “Mr Jabbar was known for not writing up records or keeping notes correctly, but these reviews have been based on hospital notes. My daughter’s report doesn’t reflect her journey at all.”
A GOSH spokesperson said the hospital was deeply sorry and wanted “every patient and family who comes to our hospital to feel safe and cared for”.
“We commissioned an independent review of patient care, which is in line with the NHS England guidelines,” they added.
