Children injured by NHS can claim damages for lifetime lost earnings, court rules

A Supreme Court ruling is likely to lead to significantly higher damages being awarded to children injured by medical negligence.

Until now, children have only been entitled to compensation for lost earnings – pay missed out on by not being able to work – for the years they are expected to live.

But the court, ruling on the case of a child who sustained a brain injury at birth, found that compensation should take into account the full working life she would have had if she had not been harmed at birth.

The decision could have large cost implications for the NHS. Its clinical negligence liabilities currently stand at £60bn, with two-thirds relating to maternity injuries.

Read full article.

Source: BBC News, 19 February 2026