Girl Injured at Birth Secures £7.5 Million From NHS

An eight-year-old girl, who faces a lifetime of acute disability due to negligent management of her birth in hospital, has been awarded £7.5 million in compensation in settlement of her case against the NHS.

Despite warning signs that she was in distress whilst still in her mother's womb, there was a catastrophic delay in her delivery. She suffered oxygen starvation and brain damage which mean that she will require constant care for the rest of her life.

The court heard that despite the girl's sunny personality, she can be 'a real handful' at times, but her parents have never stinted in doing their very best to look after her.

The NHS trust which manages the hospital admitted liability for the girl's injuries at an early stage and, through its lawyers, issued an apology to her and her family in open court. The settlement is in the form of a £2.3 million lump sum, plus annual, index-linked and tax-free payments to cover the costs of her care for life.

The annual payments will start at £57,000 and will then rise in stages to £175,000. Given her long life expectancy, the total settlement is valued at just over £7.5 million.

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