A boy who received severe brain damage by a rare complication has settled a clinical negligence claim with The Royal London Hospital.
Matthew Charles Ellerbeck was admitted to the hospital in 1997 suffering from headaches, nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting, reports the Newham Recorder.
Following extensive tests, Matthew was suspected of suffering from meningitis. When he was admitted to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital several days later, he found to be suffering from herpes simplex encephalitis, a condition which leads to the swelling of the brain.
The diagnosis and subsequent treatment came too late and Matthew, who is now 17, was left with motor disabilities, learning difficulties and epilepsy. He is heavily dependent on others.
Through his mother Susan, Matthew sued Barts and the London NHS Trust for clinical negligence.
Recently, West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust was also sued after a boy developed severe dyskinetic cerebral palsy following alleged medical negligence during his birth, according to the Bury Free Press.
Boy settles clinical negligence claims with The Royal London Hospital
July 3rd, 2008
Maltese boy wins £4.25m payout for misdiagnosis at UK hospital
June 30th, 2008A 12-year-old boy from Malta has won £4.25 million compensation after a UK hospital failed to diagnose an inherited disorder when he was a baby.
The condition went undetected for a further 12 months and, as a result, Luke Attard suffered brain damage, reports the Observer.
At a High Court hearing, Dr Gwilym Hosking was accused of failing to carry a routine blood test on Luke which would have identified a rare form of a genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU).
Specialist staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital eventually diagnosed the condition.
According to NHS Direct, PKU is a metabolic disorder which manifests itself in an enzyme defect rendering the sufferer unable to produce the essential amino acid tyrosine.
Dr Hosking died in October 2006. In May that year, Luke’s parents reached a settlement on the basis that Dr Hosking was 90 per cent liable.
Luke now lives with his family in East Sussex. Two of his three brothers also have PKU.
