Great Ormond Street begin urgent review of Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery carried out by ‘rogue’ children’s doctor.

A former NHS surgeon treated around 721 children on the NHS whilst based at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Known for his orthopaedic procedures, he often performed lower limb reconstructions and fitted Ilizarov frames, a procedure that involved fitting stainless steel rings to the bone and gradually stretching the limbs.

In 2022 he stopped treating patients at Great Ormond Street after concerns were raised about his work and he thereafter moved to Dubai.

Multiple complaints were made by the families of children whom he had treated, including one six-year-old boy who had suffered ‘terrible pain’ after a lower limb reconstruction in 2021. The boy’s father stated that; ‘After a couple of days, the frame became loose, and my child was in a lot of pain. You could feel the bone in his leg, which felt out of position, like it wasn’t lined up and was protruding the wrong way.’ An initial review of this case concluded that the surgery the surgeon had performed was ‘incorrect and unsuitable’.

A further report was produced by the Royal College of Surgeons in early 2024, concluding that he had shown ‘unacceptable and unprofessional behaviour’.

Further Allegations

Following further allegations, an urgent review has recently been launched by Great Ormond Street. So far, 37 of his former patients have been assessed, revealing that 22 of these have come to some degree of harm, 13 of these classed as ‘severe’. The impact of these botched surgeries ranges from muscle damage and nerve injuries to some patients being left with different length legs of up to 20cm. One of these patients required a leg amputation.

The surgeon continues to practice in Dubai, operating on both adults and children at the Clemenceau Medical Center (CMC) and Orthocure. He is described on the CMC website as ‘recognised for his expertise and appointed as a consultant limb reconstruction surgeon at the world-renowned Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.’

In response to these findings, Great Ormond Street have stated;

‘Following concerns raised by our staff and families, we asked the Royal College of Surgeons to review our paediatric orthopaedic service. We accept the findings in full and are taking steps to act on all its recommendations. As part of the review, the RCS raised concerns around the practice of a surgeon who no longer works at the Trust, and other practice within the service. We are taking these concerns incredibly seriously. We have contacted all patients of the surgeon and a group of independent experts from other paediatric hospitals are reviewing the care of all the patients of this surgeon. We are incredibly sorry for the worry and uncertainty this review may cause them.’ They have also created an Orthopaedic Service Review Improvement Programme.

If your child has received treatment from this surgeon, or indeed any other surgeon, and you feel that the surgery was not conducted to an appropriate standard, please contact our Medical Negligence team. Here at Williamsons, we have extensive experience in representing both children and adults who have experienced negligent orthopaedic surgery care and have secured substantial sums of compensation to help with their futures. Although this does not change what has happened, obtaining compensation can go some way to help, such as by providing access to the best private rehabilitation services, care services, aids and equipment and property adaptation.

As well as compensation, we are tireless in our pursuit for justice for our clients and we recognise the importance of securing acknowledgment of failings and apologises. If you would like to speak to one of our experienced team, please contact Williamsons on 01482 323697.