£5.85m payout for girl who suffered severe spinal cord damage at birth

A girl, aged eight, has received a payout of £5.85m after she was left needing lifelong care after she sustained serious spinal cord damage at birth.

She was delivered at Basildon University Hospital in Essex with the use of forceps and a ventouse cap. Ventouse is a method sometimes used at birth whereby an instrument is attached to a baby’s head by suction in order to assist the delivery.

The girl’s injuries were not immediately apparent, but instead were noticed by her parents once they were home.

She was then found to have major trauma to her upper spinal cord, leaving her disabled for the rest of her life.

The hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust has not taken responsibility for the injury, but has agreed a compensation settlement.

A Specialist Medical Negligence Lawyer said: “It is tragic when a birth, which should be such a happy event, goes so terribly wrong. Nothing can turn the clock back but damages awarded in these cases help to some extent by providing essential therapies, care and equipment that would otherwise not be available to families in this situation.”