Lynda Reynolds, a Partner in our Clinical Negligence team, has expressed concerns following recent reports about former Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) surgeon Mr. Yaser Jabbar. Over 700 cases are currently under review, with allegations that numerous children may have suffered harm due to Mr. Jabbar’s actions before his departure from GOSH.
Reynolds, who has represented several families affected by inadequate care at GOSH, has long been critical of the hospital’s policies for handling adverse incidents. In 2019, she raised concerns with the Coroner, highlighting GOSH’s apparent lack of a robust policy for investigating adverse incidents and conducting Serious Untoward Investigations (SUI).
One of the families represented by Reynolds was that of Amy Allan, a 14-year-old who tragically died following elective surgery at GOSH. An independent expert witness concluded that the surgery, which was poorly planned, should never have been offered due to the high risks involved. Furthermore, the planning and post-operative care were deemed inadequate. GOSH later accepted this expert opinion, and the Coroner issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report following the inquest.
Reynolds commented on the systemic issues, stating:
“It became apparent to Amy’s family and me that GOSH lacked a culture of openness and a willingness to admit and learn from errors. I had previously noticed that none of the cases I worked on involving GOSH had been subject to an SUI report. This is highly unusual in cases involving poor outcomes.”
Reflecting on her experience, Reynolds noted:
“It is routine to meet with new clients where there has been an adverse outcome, and the hospital has conducted an SUI. GOSH, however, stood out as an anomaly. In several cases where I represented families, no SUI report was provided as part of the disclosure, which raised serious concerns.”
Reynolds added:
“The current situation involving Mr. Jabbar raises troubling questions. How many missed opportunities were there to learn and address these issues? Could this failure to investigate and report harm have led to the suffering of many more children?”
Reynolds emphasised the importance of families having access to independent, specialist legal advice when they believe they have experienced substandard care.
“Amy’s family struggled for months on their own, trying to uncover the truth behind her death, only to be met with denial and delay. It was only with specialist representation that they were able to find accountability for the failures in Amy’s care.”
She further stressed that without legal support, families often face accepting hospital responses that do not acknowledge poor care. In Amy’s case, GOSH’s initial response consisted of a 57-page document that made no admissions regarding the care failures that led to her death.
Reynolds highlighted the need for a strong incident investigation framework, as laid out by NHS England, to identify areas for improvement.
“If incidents are not properly investigated, they cannot be reviewed by NHS England or senior staff, and poor practices continue unchecked.”
