health
Family of girl left brain-damaged at birth accept £28m NHS payout
Mother demands overhaul of maternity care after settling case over birth at Queen’s hospital in Romford in 2019
TL;DR
- A family has accepted £28 million in damages from an NHS trust after mistakes during childbirth led to their daughter suffering severe brain damage.
- The Barking, Havering and Redbridge university hospitals NHS trust admitted failure to monitor the baby's heart rate and consult an obstetrician during labor.
- The six-year-old girl, born in July 2019, has epilepsy, experiences seizures, and will require lifelong care and supervision due to cognitive and language impairments and lack of danger awareness.
- The settlement reflects the high costs of lifelong care and the girl's expected lifespan.
- The girl's mother has demanded urgent action from ministers and NHS bosses to overhaul maternity care, citing repeated scandals and promises of reviews.
- Maternity blunders constitute 11% of NHS medical negligence claims but 53% of their value due to the severe, life-changing injuries involved.
- The £28m payout is not the largest, with a £37m settlement in 2020 for a similar case.
- The NHS trust has apologized, stating they have made significant changes and improved their maternity care since 2019, receiving a 'good' rating from the Care Quality Commission.