Errors by former Oldham surgeon 'as bad as it gets'

Dr Yasser Adly Abdel Rahman, a locum consultant general and colorectal surgeon, was working at The Royal Oldham Hospital in August 2020 when he performed emergency bowel surgery, in which he connected the wrong part of the small intestine to the stomach and left another section loose in the abdominal cavity.

This mistake created a “closed loop,” meaning the patient's bowel contents had nowhere to go except back into the stomach.

The errors came to light at a tribunal which found Dr Abdel Rahman to be a high risk to the public.

Anthony Blower, a consultant general and colorectal surgeon who gave evidence as an expert witness, said the standard of care fell “seriously below” what would be expected from a consultant in Dr Abdel Rahman’s position.

He also said the errors were 'as bad as it gets' for a surgeon.

UPDATE: Oldham surgeon struck off for operation tribunal said was 'not compatible with life'

The operation was revealed to be a critical error by another consultant, Anthony Rate, after concerns were raised by staff on the ward about the patient’s condition.

The post-operative care provided by Dr Abdel Rahman was also found to be inadequate.

He failed to respond to the patient’s ongoing severe pain, lack of improvement, high nasogastric output, and radiological evidence of a blockage.

He also inappropriately reassured the patient’s family that the surgery had been successful, despite clear clinical signs to the contrary, the tribunal heard.

Further concerns were raised when it emerged that Dr Abdel Rahman had failed to comply with professional restrictions.

An interim orders tribunal had imposed conditions on his registration for 12 months in July 2021, but he took up employment as a locum in Ireland in February 2022 without informing the General Medical Council (GMC).

He later misled the GMC about his start date in the role, which the tribunal found to be a dishonest act.

The tribunal described the surgical and post-operative errors as serious professional misconduct.

It concluded that Dr Abdel Rahman "failed to recognise and work within the limits of his competence" and "did not provide a good standard of practice and care or effective treatment".

The panel found no evidence of insight, remorse, or accountability in Dr Abdel Rahman’s response to the allegations.

He denied all clinical failings, accused colleagues of dishonesty and incompetence, and described the GMC’s investigation as a “witch hunt".

He offered no evidence of remediation, professional development, or acknowledgement of wrongdoing.

The tribunal determined that Dr Abdel Rahman’s behaviour represented "serious professional misconduct" and that he posed a "high and ongoing risk to public protection".

The ruling stated: "Actions of this nature compromised patient safety.

"It was not assured that if similar circumstances presented themselves in the future, the risk had been eliminated."

The panel concluded that unrestricted practice would undermine public confidence in the medical profession.

It stated: "A fully informed and reasonable member of the public would be seriously concerned if a doctor who had not accepted accountability for serious clinical failings of this nature, and had gone on to breach his IOT conditions and been dishonest, was permitted to practise without restriction.

"The Tribunal considered that not putting any restrictions in place would undermine confidence in the profession."

Dr Abdel Rahman has disengaged from the regulatory process and did not attend the hearing.

The tribunal determined on July 17 that his fitness to practise is impaired by reason of misconduct.

It will now go on to decide what restrictions or sanctions to place on the doctor.