Investigations into surgical malpractice
In 2020 Rob Hill, a surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital complained to Dr Allan Goldman, the then head of the service, about Jabbar's work. A Serious Incident investigation was carried out for a parent who claimed that Jabbar had lied to them about a surgery he performed on their child's elbow. A report was written about the incident and submitted to the trust in June 2020, but no action was taken. The trust later claimed that a single report suggested a one off serious incident rather than a broader pattern of misconduct. [4]
In 2021 Sarah McMahon, a consultant at the hospital, began seeing Jabbar's patients while Jabbar was on leave. McMahon was alarmed by the care that the patients had received and raised concerns with the trust. [4] She suggested that an external review be held but management failed to address her concerns and allowed Jabbar to keep practicing. Discussing the situation with her MP later, she said “I was effectively told to keep quiet and concentrate on my own patients.” [5] Jabbar submitted counterclaims against McMahon but management failed to share the details of those counter complaints until October 2024. The hospital found Jabbar's complaints unfounded. [6] [5] McMahon's MP Meg Hillier raised McMahon's case in parliament in October 2024. Hiller was critical of the lack of support for whistleblowers and shared how McMahon had been threatened with disciplinary action and excluded in work after she whistleblew on Jabbar. [5]
Whilst still working with children at the Great Ormond Street Hospital, Jabbar was placed on 11 months of sabbatical leave while the Royal College of Surgeons began a review into Jabbar's surgical practice at the hospital. [3] Jabbar resigned from his post at the hospital before the Royal College of Surgeons produced a confidential report at a result of their investigations. [3] [1] On January 4 2024 Jabbar had multiple conditions applied to his work by the GMC. This included requiring a clinical supervisor to oversee his work at all times and ensuring all his employers are aware of his GMC restrictions. On January 8 Jabbar left the GMC register and is no longer licensed to practice in the UK. [2] [7] [8]
In September 2024, The Times newspaper, having seen a copy of the Royal College of Surgeons' report published details of the investigation's findings. [3] The investigation found Jabbar had exhibited “unacceptable and unprofessional behaviour”. His record-keeping was poor and assessments of children before surgery were unacceptable and he carried out operations for which he had not sought proper consent. It also concluded that children were also subjected to surgery that had no clear benefits or justification. Accusations were made that Jabbar would alter clinical records after surgery and dismissed concerns raised about the post-surgical recovery of children. According to the report, “the review team heard of serious complications … with staff reportedly seeing more amputations in recent times than they ever had within the service” and that some staff working with Jabbar “would not wish for their friends and family to be operated on” by him. The report also concluded that Jabbar "hid his complications and he didn’t learn from them. So they kept happening.” In a review of one child's care, the report concluded surgery by Jabbar was “incorrect and unsuitable”. It said Jabbar “demonstrated a lack of understanding of the principles of deformity correction surgery, in addition to a lack of insight”. [3]
Medical records of the affected patients were independently reviewed to check that the treatment provided was appropriate. [9] As of September 2024, 39 cases had been reviewed with 22 children having been harmed, and a further 13 were classified as having suffered "severe harm" with potentially lifelong injuries as a result. One child harmed was only four months of age during surgery. At least one child had to have a leg amputation following Jabbar's surgery, with another child at risk of amputation if the work of other surgeons cannot save the limb. In other cases, children have been left with a disparity in leg length by as much as 20 centimetres (7.9 in), with children living with chronic pain even years after surgery and other having to be repeatedly operated on due to muscle damage, nerve injuries and permanent deformities after surgery. [1] [3]
Criticism of Great Ormond Street Hospital
Beyond Jabbar's behaviour and care, the Royal College of Surgeons report was highly critical of the working environment at the hospital, with staff and patients feeling their concerns were not listened to, and the report accusing the hospital of being run like a "political organisation". [3] [1] Their investigation found that a list of harmed patients had previously been handed to senior managers by whistleblowers but no action was taken. They also found that Junior Doctors at the hospital were uncooperative during the investigation, refusing to respond to letters, or making appointments with the review team but failing to attend. The Royal College had asked for the hospital's complaints data during their investigation but was never provided with it and was never given an explanation as to why this data had not been provided to them. [4] The father of one child said "we tried to raise our concerns repeatedly through the official complaints procedure, and I copied the clinical director into many emails, but heard nothing back." He described the initial investigation as feeling like everything was being "brushed under the carpet," which he found "very upsetting." [3] One patient's case was previously reviewed with the hospital finding that Jabbar’s surgical technique was satisfactory. But following a later review, after the Royal College of Surgeons investigation, the hospital found Jabbar had caused the patient harm and didn't consider alternative treatment plans. [10]