21 hours Ago
Last year, Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) launched a review of the care of 723 children treated by consultant orthopaedic surgeon Yaser Jabbar. Lawyers representing affected families have said that full financial settlements could take “many years”, but interim payouts could help to fund treatment, therapy or rehabilitation. Solicitor Caroline Murgatroyd, of Hudgell Solicitors – who represents a number of families who were treated by Mr Jabbar – said: “What we really want to do is try and secure interim payments of compensation for the children as soon as possible.
“When bringing a claim for clinical negligence, the ultimate resolution to that case is a payment of compensation. “You can only settle a claim in full and final settlement when you are fairly sure of the outcome for that child into the future as a result of the treatment they’ve received. “Full settlements could take many years because children need time to develop before their prognosis can be reasonably predicted into the future.
“Interim damages allow a child to access some of their compensation earlier than a full and final settlement, so they can use those damages to fund treatment, therapy, or rehabilitation to improve their current condition, whilst the full and final settlement is awaited.” Gosh initially commissioned an external review of its paediatric orthopaedic service in 2022 “after concerns were raised by a number of our patient families and staff”. It said that the review, conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), “raised concerns regarding the medical practice of an orthopaedic surgeon”.
In light of the findings, Gosh said that it would commission a separate review of the care given to all patients seen by the surgeon at the hospital. Of the first 37 cases reviewed by independent experts, 22 children were found to have come to some degree of harm, including 13 deemed to have come to “severe harm”. As of January 24, 217 patients had been reviewed, the hospital said.
It is understood that the detail concerning the proportion of those harmed will be published when the investigation concludes. The review is expected to take around a year-and-a-half to complete. Gosh said that it is also working with four other hospitals where Mr Jabbar treated patients.
Mr Jabbar, who no longer works at the London hospital, is reported to be an expert in lower limb reconstruction but has not had a licence to practice medicine in the UK since January last year. Lawyers said they are getting calls from families allegedly affected every week. Ms Murgatroyd, who heads the legal team working on the case at Hudgell Solicitors, added: “We are contacted by families on a weekly basis relating to this case, and more people have come forward as they have received new information.
“We have also been contacted by a large number of families whose children were treated by Mr Jabbar but they are still awaiting extra information and reports.” She added: “In the cases we are involved in, where severe harm has been found to have been caused, issues have included incorrect and poor surgeries being carried out, failing to take steps to prevent nerve damage, and cases where there are serious questions as to whether amputations could have been avoided.” Some of her clients “face the risk of possible amputations, further surgeries, and many have been left with pain and leg length discrepancies,” she added.
A spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital said: “We are deeply sorry to the patients and families who have been let down while in our care. “Independent experts are working as quickly as possible to review the orthopaedic care given by a surgeon who no longer works at the trust. “It is important these reviews are thorough and that each patient and family receive the information they need.
We are on track to complete this work within 18 months, as planned. “We send quarterly updates to families who are awaiting their review to keep them informed of our progress and regularly update our website. “We want to provide as much support as we can to families and, where they submit claims, we will work to ensure the legal process can be resolved as quickly as possible.
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