Statement regarding recent media coverage

7 Sep 2024, 11:07 p.m.

A story running in the Sunday Times this weekend makes allegations about the Orthopaedic service at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

We take the issues raised in the article incredibly seriously and know they will be worrying for patients and families. We are deeply sorry to all patients who received poor care and understand that this may have had a significant impact on their health and wellbeing.

In 2022 we asked the Royal College of Surgeons to review our paediatric orthopaedic service, after concerns were raised by a number of our patient families and staff. As part of this, we are carrying out a review into the care of some of our patients. We have written directly to all patients and their families whose care is being reviewed so please be assured you would have been contacted if we are looking at your care. The surgeon who is the main focus  in the media coverage has not worked at GOSH since 2022.

Our priority is ensuring that all patients have their care reviewed thoroughly and we are working through the group of patients to understand any issues with their care. This is a complex task and is taking some time. If when reviewing a patient's care we find instances of harm we will contact patients and families again to determine the next steps for them.

We are committed to learning from every single patient that we treat and to being open and transparent with our families when care falls below the high standards we strive for. Inviting external reviews into our services helps us to identify any changes that need to be made to ensure we are delivering the very best care for our patients.

We would encourage any patient or family member who has concerns about their care to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service who can assist you. They can be contacted on 0207 829 7862  or pals@gosh.nhs.uk