Family of girl who suffered severe brain injury at birth receive £28m in damages

The family of a girl who suffered severe brain injury at birth have received £28m in damages from Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.

(c) Tingey Injury Law Firm/Unsplash

(c) Tingey Injury Law Firm/Unsplash

The trust admitted negligent care led to a delay in the delivery in the girl who suffered a severe hypoxia-ischaemia and a brain injury.

A family member said: 'This settlement means everything to me and my family, as it brings peace of mind knowing that my daughter will now have access to the support she needs for the future.'

The family were represented by Jane Weakley and Gemma Wells of law firm Fieldfisher.

Nic Kane, chief nurse, Barking, Havering, and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: ‘We're extremely sorry the care this child and their family experienced was not good enough. We'd like to reassure them, and all our expectant mothers, that since this birth in 2019, we've learned lessons, made significant changes and our maternity department has been rated good by the CQC. 

‘The improvements include more obstetric and midwifery staff in triage to ensure women are reviewed and concerns escalated quicker; more robust training on CTG monitoring (used to monitor the baby's heart rate and mother's contractions); and we are part of a national programme, run by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which focuses on reducing the risk of avoidable harm in childbirth.'

Barking Havering and Redbridge is among the NHS trusts under investigation by Baroness Amos in an ongoing safety review, due to be published this June.

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