Nearly 100 children harmed by Great Ormond Street surgeon: what we know

Credit: The Sharma family

By Claudia Tanner

An independent review has found that 94 young patients suffered harm at the hands of an orthopaedic surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital between 2017 and 2022. Here's what happened and what it means for patient safety.

Who was the surgeon and what did he do?

Yaser Jabbar worked as an orthopaedic surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London from 2017 to 2022, specialising in lower limb reconstruction. He treated hundreds of children during this period. Independent experts said in a review that his surgery fell well below the level expected in several areas.

Mr Jabbar no longer has a licence to practise medicine in the UK and is understood to be living abroad.

How many patients were affected?

Independent assessors reviewed all 789 of Mr Jabbar's patients. Of these, 94 children were found to have suffered harm directly attributable to his care. Of these, he operated on 91 of them.