Rogue Great Ormond Street surgeon ‘harmed up to 100 children’ with botched operations on their legs

Almost 100 children at Great Ormond Street Hospital were harmed by botched surgeries performed on their legs by a rogue surgeon, a report has revealed.

The children suffered chronic pain, deformities, permanent nerve damage and even amputation after being operated on by disgraced NHS surgeon Yasser Jabbar, 43.

Other patients suffered from foot drop, a debilitating condition in which the foot cannot be pulled up and the patient must lift the leg up while walking to avoid tripping.

Some found themselves living with legs of varying lengths, up to 20cm, after going under Jabbar’s knife.

Great Ormond Street (GOSH) has ordered a review by independent experts into the care of 721 patients who passed through Jabbar at the hospital.

A further 68 cases were later uncovered, bringing the total to 789, and the investigation is now complete.

The full findings are expected to be presented to the hospital’s trust board on January 29, more than two years after the surgeon was first suspended, but some information has been released before then.

The foundation confirmed that Jabbar harmed between 85 and 100 children.

The picture shows a young boy whose leg was amputated below the knee.

Of these, at least 32 were severely damaged, meaning potentially lifelong deformities or chronic pain, 36 were left with moderate damage, and 18 cases were slightly damaged.

However, some families of the children included in the report criticized the incident and claimed that the ‘cover-up culture’ would obscure the facts.

While some accused GOSH of ‘failing its children’, others claimed the report prepared by external surgeons using patient notes would leave more questions than answers.

Last month a mother told the BBC: ‘Mr Jabbar was known not to have recorded accurately or kept accurate notes, but these investigations were based on hospital notes.

‘My daughter’s report does not reflect her journey at all.’

Jabbar stopped treating patients at the world-famous hospital in 2022 after concerns about his work increased.

He left GOSH in 2023 following a report by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) which found some surgeries were ‘inappropriate’ and ‘wrong’.

Jabbar later moved to Dubai where he continued his activities and claimed to be one of the most sought-after doctors in his field.

Jabbar stopped treating patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital (pictured) in 2022, before leaving the hospital in 2023.

Dean Stalham’s six-year-old daughter Bunty underwent a series of surgeries over a 15-month period, all of which were unsuccessful, leaving her in agony and on strong painkillers for months.

But after the Daily Mail revelations, he was sacked as a speaker at a major conference and removed from hospitals’ websites celebrating him.

Following the 2023 review, GOSH has promised that each of Jabbar’s patients will receive an independent report to judge the extent to which they suffered at his hands.

The foundation’s credibility was dealt another blow by insiders claiming that the fundamental cultural problems at the hospital had not changed.

A source told Times: ‘If this happened again, would I trust that anything would be done differently? ‘Absolutely not.’

A Great Ormond Street spokesman previously said the hospital was extremely sorry and wanted ‘every patient and family who comes to our hospital to feel safe and cared for’.

‘We have commissioned an independent review in line with NHS England guidelines on patient care,’ they added.

Another parent who was unhappy with the outcome of the reports regarding their child’s care was Dean Stalham; Her daughter, Bunty, was born with a rare bone disease that causes her left shinbone to be crooked and short, and a genetic disease that causes tumors to grow on her nerves.

Over a 15-month period, Bunty underwent a series of surgeries, all of which were unsuccessful, leaving him in agony and on strong painkillers for months.

Despite undergoing all the surgeries performed by Jabbar, including bone grafting, tibia lengthening and the use of a frame, Bunty finally underwent a below-knee amputation in May 2020.

Bunty’s report stated the physical impact on him was ‘moderate’ but his father told the BBC this was ‘completely false’.

He said that the report stated that he had undergone six surgeries, but the number was actually 10.

“None of Bunty’s surgeries worked and none of them did him any good,” he told the BBC.

‘When they were trying to lengthen his leg they shortened it by about eight inches.’