Mother wins decade-long battle for more than £10m over botched operation on child at NHS hospital

A mother has won a 12-year battle for compensation against an NHS hospital after successfully claiming her child suffered brain damage as a result of a botched surgery.

The toddler, now a teenager, was left wheelchair-bound as a result of the operation in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in 2012, with lawyers claiming the child was starved of oxygen.

A settlement has now been reached between the NHS Litigation Authority, which handles claims against the NHS for negligent care, and the family.

The trust that manages the Liverpool-based hospital has also apologised for the “failings in care”.

The mother said: “Ever since that day, my child has had to go to countless appointments, see countless therapists and doctors and specialists, and will do for the rest of their life. I am traumatised and exhausted, and I am on the defence all the time.

“I can’t cut any of them any slack after what happened 12 years ago. Twelve years is such a painfully long time.”

She also hit out at the process of claiming compensation through medical negligence claims.

She added: “It takes years and this length of time is not good enough. Parents commit suicide, marriages break down, they’re often too frightened to have more children. All because of how long it takes to get justice for your child, and how hard that is to achieve.” 

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Source: The Independent, 25 September 2024