Hospital trust to compensate child after jaundice went undiagnosed
ABOY who was left with severe brain injuries after midwives at a Birmingham hospital failed to diagnose and treat his jaundice as a baby has been awarded more than £18 million compensation.
The child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was born healthy in February 2009 but the delay in treatment at Birmingham Women’s Hospital Trust resulted in him developing a rare form of brain damage called kernicterus – a condition that’s usually preventable if caught in time.
Now aged eight, he needs round-the-clock care and will do for the rest of his life due to him suffering from quadriplegic dystonic cerebral palsy, a hearing impairment and developmental delay.
Following a High Court Approval Hearing on Monday, the boy has now secured a package equivalent to £18 million in compensation to enable specialist care and equipment to be provided, now and throughout his life.
“This is a very difficult and tragic case as the life of an otherwise healthy baby boy has been devastated by mistakes made by the failure to diagnose and treat jaundice,” said Eddie Jones, a partner at JMW Solicitors and specialist in medical negligence cases, who acted on behalf of the family.
“The family have had to go through such an awful ordeal due to an avoidable tragedy and they were very sadly let down by the trust on this occasion.
“The family have fought hard to secure compensation for their son to ensure his needs will be catered for during the rest of his life.
“Nothing can change these tragic events but this settlement will ensure that their son has all the support he needs to help care for his disabilities.”
Mr Jones added: “Jaundice is a common condition in newborns and, whilst in rare cases the consequences can be serious, it is treatable. Sadly, the mistakes made have had a catastrophic impact on my client’s life and the lives of the rest of his family.”
Mr Jones added that the case was one of a number of claims from across the country being handled by his firm for similar mistakes resulting in kernicterus affecting other children.
In 2008 the government’s former Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, called for a national kernicterus register and routine screening to prevent the condition occurring.
Despite his urging, there is still no such register in place and no decision is understood to have been taken by the Department of Health on a screening programme.