November 6th, 2009
A 14-year-old girl has been awarded millions in compensation after winning a medical negligence claim against the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
Tahlia Downes was deprived of oxygen during her birth, leaving her with severe mental and physical disabilities.
Her mother brought the medical negligence claim against the hospital on the grounds that she should have been given a Caesarean section during the birth, reports the BBC.
Norfolk and Norwich Hospital will pay the family compensation after the judge in the case ruled that it should pay 70 per cent of the full valuation of the claim.
The payout is expected to run into millions once a final figure is reached, money that will be used to provide care for Tahlia for the rest of her life.
Last month, ten-year-old Harry Snowdon of Oxfordshire was awarded £7.1 million in compensation in a similar medical negligence case against Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, in which he was left with brain damage following difficulties with his birth.
Tags: 1 Million, 14 Year Old Girl, Bbc, Brain Damage, Caesarean Section, Hospitals Nhs Trust, Left Brain, Medical Negligence Case, Medical Negligence Claim, Money, Norwich Hospital, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Nhs Trust, Oxfordshire, Oxygen, Physical Disabilities, Snowdon, Tahlia, Wins
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October 23rd, 2009
A family from St Annes in Lancashire has been awarded compensation after hospital blunders left a little boy severely disabled.
Lynn Heap was admitted to Blackpool Victoria Hospital to give birth to Jack, but complications arose and the baby was starved of oxygen, the Blackpool Gazette reports.
He was left brain damaged and is now reliant on his family and care professionals.
The trust responsible for Blackpool Victoria Hospital admitted liability, but the family has had to fight for nine years in order to gain compensation.
This week at London’s High Court, Lynn and Richard Heap were awarded remuneration that could amount to £6 million.
Mr Heap commented: "This money will allow us to secure his future and give him the best life we possibly can."
Compensation for brain injuries will usually need to be more substantial than for other conditions, as it must cover the care of the patient for the rest of their life. It is usually paid in index-linked, yearly installments.
Tags: 6 Million, Brain Damage, Brain Injuries, Care Professionals, Gazette Reports, Heap, Hospital Blunders, Installments, Lancashire, Left Brain, London, Money, Nine Years, Oxygen, Remuneration, St Annes, Victoria Hospital
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October 16th, 2009
A woman who was left with a memory span of ten minutes after suffering from a brain haemorrhage has received a multi-million pound payout.
Cristina Malcolm, 41, collapsed in July 2002 with a terrible headache, but was told when she sought medical advice that it was a virus.
In fact, blood had already leaked into her brain and she then went on to suffer a more serious haemorrhage.
Mrs Malcolm was taken to Newcastle General Hospital to have half a litre of blood removed from her brain, but it was too late to reverse the damage and the patient was left brain damaged.
She now needs constant care from her husband Sandy, who describes her as "like a ten-year-old with Alzheimer’s".
GP Dr James Harrison, Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust all admitted to clinical negligence and have agreed to a compensation payout of £4.46 million.
Settlements for brain damage are typically larger than those for other injuries since the money must cover the long-term care of the patient. Anyone affected by cases such as this may wish to seek legal advice.
Tags: Acute Hospitals Nhs Trust, Brain Damage, Brain Haemorrhage, Clinical Negligence, Constant Care, Darlington, Dr James, Gp, Headache, Hospitals Nhs Trust, James Harrison, Left Brain, Legal Advice, Litre, Long Term Care, Medical Advice, Memory Span, Newcastle General Hospital, Quot
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October 14th, 2009
An NHS trust has been ordered to pay out £7.1 million in compensation to a boy who was left brain damaged due to errors surrounding his birth.
Harry Snowdon, now ten, was starved of oxygen after his delivery was delayed for four hours at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital in 1999.
His mother Debra had been given too much of a drug that causes labour and the baby was in distress in the birth canal, but a lack of monitoring led to the devastating errors and Harry was born with brain damage.
He now has no sense of danger and has violent mood swings, meaning that he will never be able to live independently.
This week, Mr Justice Holroyde ruled that the "negligence of the defendants’ medical and nursing staff in the management of his birth" led to his disabilities.
Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust admitted liability and has now agreed to a £7.1 million compensation payout.
"We are relieved the settlement has eventually been agreed and we will not have to worry about what will happen to him when we are no longer around," said Ms Snowdon.
According to the Centre for Neuro Skills, over 1,000 children die or suffer permanent brain injury every year in the UK because of shortage of oxygen around the time of birth.
Tags: 1 Million, 1m, Birth Canal, Brain Damage, Brain Injury, Disabilities, John Radcliffe Hospital, Labour, Left Brain, Mr Justice, Negligence, Neuro Skills, Nhs Trust, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals, Oxygen, Sense Of Danger, Snowdon, Time Of Birth, Violent Mood Swings
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July 31st, 2009
A young man who was the victim of a medical blunder at his birth has been awarded compensation that will cover his long-term care needs.
The unnamed victim was deprived of oxygen at birth due to errors by health professionals. Had he been delivered 25 minutes earlier, his brain damage could have been avoided, Conscious.co.uk reports.
Now, however, he cannot walk or talk and is reliant on others for his care. His family were wrongly told that they could not claim compensation because their son is now over three years old, but they recently found that this is not the case and lodged a claim against the NHS trust involved.
Indeed, although those over 18 must seek compensation within three years of clinical negligence occurring, the families of children affected by it can make a claim until they are 18 years old.
The NHS trust admitted liability for the victim’s brain injuries and agreed to a £3.8 million payout that will enable him to move to a specially adapted house.
Claims for clinical negligence can be brought against a range of health professionals, including doctors, private healthcare practitioners, dentists, nurses, occupational therapists and plastic surgeons.
Tags: 18 Years, Brain Damage, Brain Injuries, Clinical Negligence, Dentists, Doctors, Health Professionals, Healthcare Practitioners, Left Brain, Long Term Care, Medical Blunder, Nhs Trust, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Oxygen, Private Healthcare, Young Man
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