Mother of patient treated by discredited surgeon alleges hospital ‘gaslit’ her

The parent of a young patient who underwent surgery by a discredited surgeon at a prominent London children’s hospital stated that her daughter ought not to have been placed under his supervision. Jodee Seeley informed BBC Newsnight that she was contemplating legal proceedings against Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh). She alleges that Gosh “gaslit” her and permitted Yaser Jabbar to perform surgery on her daughter Alana despite prior complaints regarding his professional misconduct. Mr Jabbar departed from the hospital in 2023 following an investigation by the Royal College of Surgeons, which concluded that he had carried out “incorrect” or “inappropriate” surgery in multiple instances. A Gosh representative stated that the hospital understood “why Alana and her family are worried” and expressed regret that “they feel information was withheld from them”. Mr Jabbar had performed surgery on Jodee’s daughter in 2022, at the age of eight years, inserting metal plates into her knees for the purpose of leg lengthening and straightening. He held a senior surgical position at the esteemed hospital, performing operations on children with intricate conditions and conducting procedures, including the one Alana underwent, as she has a complex chromosome abnormality. The hospital has subsequently commissioned independent assessments for each of his 723 patients to determine the extent of harm they sustained. Certain cases associated with Mr Jabbar led to adverse outcomes, such as life-long injuries and amputation. Jodee, residing in Essex, informed the BBC’s Newsnight programme that she was unaware of the surgeon’s standing when her daughter Alana was directed to his care in 2021. By that time, issues concerning Mr Jabbar had already been brought forward. She stated that during the family’s initial consultation in March 2021, which lasted “about five minutes”, Mr Jabbar had recommended the invasive surgical procedure. “We didn’t want to rock the boat too much because he seemed like he knew exactly what he was doing,” she stated. “So we kind of went along with it thinking he’s an orthopaedic surgeon, it’s Great Ormond Street [Hospital]. We trusted him.” She recounted being informed that the operation would enhance Alana’s mobility and position her “knee into place… and then from there we could assess whether anything else needed to be done”. The surgical procedure occurred 10 months later, in January 2022. Throughout that interval, additional professional grievances from other surgeons were communicated to the hospital’s management. This information was never revealed to Jodee or the families of Mr Jabbar’s other patients. She mentioned that the surgery initially seemed successful, and with Alana’s leg bandaged, no immediate issues were apparent. However, when the bandage was removed several weeks later, Jodee observed two scars on the inside of her child’s leg, contrary to the single incision they had been informed about. “The alarm bells rang at that point,” she stated. With the passage of weeks, Alana’s mobility, at her current age of 11, showed no improvement, and she frequently reported pain, often requiring painkillers. Jodee recounted her initial thoughts: “Well, maybe it just hasn’t worked? Maybe that wasn’t the right procedure and it will be removed? Or maybe it’s just too early to tell?” She mentioned anticipating routine check-ups from the hospital, but a follow-up appointment did not occur until July, six months post-operation. The plates in Alana’s knees were intended to remain for approximately two years. Jodee states that another surgeon at the hospital advised retaining the plates during the follow-up appointment. Subsequently, by coincidence, they encountered Mr Jabbar during the same visit. Jodee reported that he glanced at them and declared they “needed to come out immediately”, requesting the family to return the next day for an additional significant operation. He informed the family of his concern that Alana’s tendons might re-fuse to the metal plates, Jodee stated. “We were really panicked, we were really worried…. [thinking] ‘What have we done, is she okay, is it long-term damage?'” They went back to the hospital in August 2022 for the removal of the plates. However, the family’s apprehension had grown so significantly that they transferred Alana to a different hospital several months later. Jodee mentioned her daughter’s mobility was now “worse” and she was “still having falls”. Jodee stated she was not apprised of any issues with Mr Jabbar’s practice until February this year, over 16 months later. She indicated that the hospital notified her solely through a concise letter containing limited information. “It seemed like quite a general letter… nothing to worry about,” she commented. She did not comprehend the full scope of Mr Jabbar’s alleged misconduct until it was reported by the media. “I did not realise the scale of it or what actually happened or that there had been so many complaints,” she further stated. “I just felt sick, to be honest,” she remarked. “So obviously devastated. As a parent, obviously you want to protect your child, it is the number one priority. And I knew something was amiss when we had seen him.” Jodee asserted that her daughter should never have been placed under the surgeon’s supervision and has charged the hospital with fostering a culture of complicity. She informed the BBC that she had received communication from the hospital just before speaking with reporters. She suggested this might be a coincidence or “they’ve been pushed to do that because they were aware that I’d be coming to talk to you today”. “It does actually feel like they’ve been gaslighting the whole way,” she concluded. Jodee mentioned that she and her family valued their privacy, but she felt compelled to speak publicly so that other affected individuals could understand they are “not alone”. “It’s really important for other people to know what’s happened and to understand if they’re being gaslighted as well, that they’re not alone, that this is what’s going on,” she explained. A hospital spokesperson conveyed apologies to all affected families, further stating that subsequent to the Royal College of Surgeons report, the hospital had engaged external specialists to review all of Mr Jabbar’s patients. The statement continued: “They are working at pace […] We understand why Alana and her family are worried […] and we have reached out to them.” “We are sorry they feel that information was withheld from them. Once concerns were raised about the surgeon’s practice in June 2022, we shared these with the General Medical Council and undertook rapid fact-finding. During this period the surgeon’s practice was restricted to simple procedures […] and always as part of a wider surgical team.” “We then had to establish the facts before sharing information with patients.” “We are now updating patients regularly about the progress of the review.” “We are aware there were concerns regarding specific patients in 2021 that were raised as formal incidents and were fully investigated. The findings in each individual case and collectively did not trigger the threshold for initiating further action at that time.” Great Ormond Street’s responses following Mr Jabbar’s exit have continued to face criticism. This year, the hospital has commissioned independent assessments for each of his 723 patients, aiming to ascertain the degree of harm they suffered. However, families who have obtained the results in recent weeks have labeled these reviews as a mis-representation and a “whitewash” of their children’s experiences. Parents have informed the BBC that the hospital “failed their children”, resulting in physical and mental harm. The BBC has interviewed a minimum of four families—and had indirect communication with an additional 12—who assert that the reports inaccurately portray their children’s experiences or diminish their pain and suffering. The assessments, conducted by expert surgeons not affiliated with GOSH, relied on patient records supplied by the hospital. Furthermore, numerous reports were compiled without conducting interviews with the patient or their family. Update 19th December: This article has been revised to omit a paragraph concerning communications between the family and the hospital, with the aim of clarifying that the hospital notified patients and their families about Mr Jabber’s reported misconduct prior to media coverage. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.