Cerebral palsy victim awarded

A multi-million pound clinical negligence payout has been awarded to a little girl who was left badly disabled as a result of birth injuries.

Amy Smith, eight, was born at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow in September 2002, the Harrow Times states.

However, although her twin sister was delivered normally, there was a delay of 20 minutes in getting Amy from her mother’s womb.

Consequently, she was starved of oxygen and went on to develop cerebral palsy so severe she will need round-the-clock care for life.

After an investigation discovered that the little girl could have been spared her birth injuries if she was delivered just 15 minutes earlier, her parents launched a clinical negligence claim against North West London Hospitals NHS Trust.

The family has now been awarded a lump sum payout of £3.29 million, as well as annual index-linked sums for the rest of her life.

This case comes just days after a Lancashire family was awarded £6 million as a result of taking legal action against an NHS trust for their own child’s cerebral palsy.

Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp, who heads the clinical negligence team at Ashtons Legal, adds: “In a similar case of mine involving the birth of twin girls, the second twin was born late and tragically died. In that case the compensation was very low by comparison.

“This shows that high awards of compensation are only made if the victim can show a real need for care, aids and equipment for life. It also perhaps demonstrates the need for the compensation in fatal cases to be increased.”