Lawford Kidd's Blog

A number of cases of compensation being awarded to patients who were the victims of medical negligence have been reported in the media recently.

One such case involved a teenage girl who has permanent nerve damage in her shoulder as a result of medical errors when she was born.

Courtney Webb was born at Liverpool Women’s Hospital in October 1999 but during labour her shoulders became stuck, reports the Liverpool Echo. At that point, a caesarean section would normally have been carried out, but medical staff instead decided to proceed with a natural birth.

An 11-year-old boy has been awarded compensation amounting to around £13 million for brain damage he sustained at his birth, reports the BBC.

The boy was born at Walsall Manor Hospital, West Midlands, but suffered abnormally low sugar levels after his birth that medical staff reportedly failed to treat.

As a result of this failing, the boy sustained serious brain damage and his brain will apparently never develop beyond that of a six-year-old. He will never be able to work and will be reliant on care for the rest of his life.

A man who suffered severe brain damage as a baby as a result of an error by medical staff has been awarded compensation amounting to £7.3 million, reports the Daily Mail.

Maternity staff at Luton and Dunstable Hospital failed to give him a vitamin K injection after his birth. The injection is routinely given to new born babies to help reduce the risk of internal bleeding.

He suffered a brain haemorrhage three months later, causing brain damage that left him with severe physical and cognitive disabilities and reliant on 24-hour care.

An eight-year-old girl has been awarded compensation amounting to several million pounds after she sustained a serious brain injury at birth, reports the BBC.

Ayla Ellison’s birth at Furness General Hospital in Barrow was described as “traumatic” and she was deprived of oxygen, causing catastrophic brain injury.

She is totally immobile and has to be fed through a tube. In addition, she is unable to regulate her own body temperature, leaving her at constant risk of developing hypothermia.

In response to proposals published by the Scottish Government, currently subject to consultation, on imposing a ‘duty of candour’ for healthcare providers, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has urged doctors and other medical staff to be upfront and honest in regards to any medical errors. However, the group also warns that divulging all information in regards to near misses may be “too burdensome” for healthcare workers and may damage the reputation of the NHS.

If the move is approved in the Scottish parliament, it will mean that healthcare staff and those working in social services will be legally obliged to tell families when a patient has been harmed as a result of medical negligence.

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