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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April 30th, 2009

A couple are suing the NHS for failing to pick up their son’s physical abnormalities in the womb and therefore robbing them of their chances to have an abortion.
The parents, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had a 20-week abnormality scan at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, but claim that the sonographer performed in too light-hearted a manner and did not properly look for problems.
The child was born with severe mental and physical disabilities, but the couple claim that had they found out about this at the scan beforehand, they would have aborted the foetus, the Daily Mail reports.
As a result, they are suing Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust for the ‘wrongful birth’ of their son, now 14, in the hope of being awarded a payout for his long-term care.
The trust denies liability and a hearing into the case is continuing.
According to BabyCentre.co.uk, about half of all major abnormalities will be seen on the 20-week scan. If a problem is found or suspected, an appointment will be made with a foetal medical specialist and options such as abortion or operations in the womb will be discussed.

Tags: Abortion, Appointment, Babycentre, Daily Mail, Foetus, Fylde, Hospitals Nhs Trust, Long Term Care, Mail Reports, Medical Specialist, Parents, Physical Abnormalities, Physical Disabilities, Sonographer, Suing The Nhs, Victoria Hospital, Womb, Wrongful Birth, Wyre
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