Mother's legal battle over child’s birth injuries
The story of a mother who is bringing a medical negligence case against the NHS, after her baby daughter suffered brain damage at her birth, caught my attention today.
The case was reported by the Daily Mail and the Metro, but their focus was not on the devastating cerebral palsy her child suffered, but rather, a more chilling element to the story.
Their reports highlighted claims that the mother was told that her baby had died after its birth, only to be later told that she was alive.
The baby did in fact survive, but it was alleged she suffered brain damage after being starved of oxygen, leaving her with cerebral palsy, and a risk of developing conditions such as epilepsy and scoliosis - an abnormal curvature of the spine.
As we have discussed in many of our blogs, cerebral palsy can have catastrophic consequences for a child, and can seriously affect their future outlook. The seriousness of its impact should not be overlooked, which is why I wanted to draw attention to its significance to this story.
The media coverage does not say to what degree the child has been affected by cerebral palsy, but many of the children we have represented are severely physically disabled, with little or no mobility. This can leave them wheelchair bound and in need of round the clock care. The condition cannot be reversed and only expensive surgery and technology can offer hope of improving sufferers' quality of life.
Another interesting point about yesterday's news stories is that it states that the compensation paid to the mother could be £300,000. The life-limiting nature of child birth brain injuries and the financial needs of those children are such that this figure may be much higher.
Compensation settlements for the victims of cerebral palsy we represent can typically run into millions of pounds because these children often lose the chance to have a career etc. They will also have special requirements for the rest of their lives, such as adapted houses, specialist therapy and extensive care and assistance.
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