Full Analysis Summary
GOSH surgeon review findings
An independent review into the practice of former Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) orthopaedic surgeon Yaser Jabbar found nearly 100 children were harmed while he treated lower-limb conditions between 2017 and 2022.
Multiple outlets report the review judged 94 patients harmed and around 642 not to have been harmed by his care.
The total number of cases reviewed varies across sources, with reports citing 736, 789 or earlier figures of 721.
The panel described repeated clinical failings and concluded many operations fell below expected standards, prompting apologies from GOSH and additional reviews by NHS England and the Metropolitan Police.
Jabbar is understood to be living abroad and no longer holds a UK licence to practise.
Coverage Differences
Numbers/Scope discrepancy
Sources differ on how many cases were reviewed and how the totals are presented. EasternEye reports the review examined 736 patients, while Sky News, The Guardian and other outlets refer to 789 cases; Daily Mail states the review originally examined 721 cases and was later expanded to 789. These are reporting differences about the review’s scope rather than contradictory findings about the number judged harmed.
Tone and emphasis
Some mainstream outlets frame the story around the formal findings and institutional response (apologies, reviews), while others emphasise the human impact and families’ anger. For example, The Guardian and BBC foreground GOSH apologies and NHS England reviews, whereas tabloids such as the Daily Mail and Mirror highlight personal injuries and family outrage.
Harmed patients review
A review categorised the 94 harmed patients by severity: 36 were judged to have suffered severe harm, 39 moderate harm and 19 mild harm across a range of physical and psychological outcomes.
Reports include severe cases such as delayed diagnoses, failed surgeries, at least one later amputation, legs reportedly up to 20cm different in length, chronic pain, permanent nerve damage including drop foot, and major leg-length discrepancies.
Public accounts of individual children—like James Wood, whose frame pin allegedly pierced his thigh and damaged his femoral artery, and Vivaan Sharma, whose family say he was left limping after leg-lengthening surgery—feature prominently in media coverage.
Coverage Differences
Severity detail and examples
Mainstream outlets such as The Guardian and The Independent provide clinical-scale descriptions and specific patient examples (e.g. amputation, 20cm leg‑length discrepancies, James Wood), while tabloid coverage (Daily Mail, Mirror) emphasises graphic injury lists and family emotional reactions. These are complementary emphases — clinical detail vs emotive illustration — rather than direct contradiction.
Classification dispute
Some families dispute how the review classified harm. The Mirror reports a family calling the classification of their child’s injury as 'moderate' ‘appalling’, showing families may feel the formal categories understate ongoing impacts.
Clinical practice failings
A review catalogued a wide range of clinical failings in Jabbar’s practice.
Errors included poor surgical planning, premature removal of fixation devices, and unclear or incomplete notes.
There were also incorrectly positioned implants, bone cuts at the wrong level, and intra-operative decisions that did not match scans.
Reviewers noted unstable constructs and an over-reliance on junior staff.
Independent reviewers described the overall approach as highly inconsistent and repeatedly below expected standards.
Some outlets reported infections were sometimes managed without involving the wider team.
Coverage Differences
Clinical focus vs culture focus
Several sources concentrate on technical surgical failings (EasternEye, The Independent, nwemail.co.uk, Sky News), while BBC and some reports emphasise wider cultural and governance problems highlighted by the Royal College of Surgeons, describing the environment as 'toxic'. This shows difference in emphasis — technical clinical errors versus systemic working culture.
Mention of infections and team involvement
Sources vary on whether they highlight infection management as a specific failing: EasternEye and nwemail.co.uk explicitly mention infections being managed without wider team involvement; other outlets focus primarily on implants, frames and documentation.
GOSH apology and reviews
GOSH has apologised and says it has acted on Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) recommendations, including complaints training, bolstering whistleblowing support, mandatory multidisciplinary reviews and arranging referral of complex cases to the national orthopaedic centre.
NHS England is reviewing governance and how concerns were handled.
Families and some staff say the hospital’s response is insufficient and accuse the trust of a 'cover‑up' or of 'marking its own homework'.
Some parents have called for a police investigation, and the Metropolitan Police says it will review the report to decide whether to investigate.
Coverage Differences
Institutional response vs families’ view
Mainstream reports (BBC, The Guardian, Sky News) emphasize GOSH’s apology and changes made following RCS recommendations and the commissioning of further reviews by NHS England, while other coverage (Daily Mail, lbc.co.uk, Mirror) foregrounds families’ criticism, describing the hospital’s action as 'too little, too late' or alleging a 'cover‑up'. The difference is one of narrative focus: institutional remediation versus victims' dissatisfaction.
Police and safeguarding actions
Different outlets add procedural details: ITVX highlights that the trust is working with the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and will keep police informed and that families were advised they may contact police directly; BBC and other outlets note the Metropolitan Police will review the report to decide on investigation.
Complaints and timeline
Questions remain about why earlier complaints and isolated investigations did not trigger a wider response.
Several sources say GOSH (Great Ormond Street Hospital) recorded seven complaints and one serious incident between 2017 and 2022.
Those cases were investigated and closed at the time, but staff say internal warnings were raised earlier and action was not taken.
Jabbar took an unpaid sabbatical in October 2022, resigned in June 2023, has not held a UK licence to practise since January 2024, and is reported to be living abroad.
Coverage Differences
Prior handling of complaints
Standard.co.uk reports earlier enquiries were investigated and closed 'without identifying a wider pattern', while BBC recounts a colleague saying she warned management in 2021 but nothing was done; this produces a difference between institutional record (closed enquiries) and staff/families' claims of ignored warnings.
Jabbar’s post-GOSH status
Nearly all sources report Jabbar no longer holds a UK licence and is understood to be living abroad; Daily Mail and The Guardian give timeline details such as his sabbatical and resignation dates. These are consistent across outlets.