Girl awarded £3.5m over birth problems

A girl who was born to face a lifetime of severe disability at a Sheffield hospital will receive £3.5m in compensation from the NHS.

Born about eight weeks prematurely, she suffered a brain haemorrhage, the High Court heard.

Now 10 years old, she has hydrocephalus, developmental delays and partial left-sided paralysis.

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust strongly denied that its staff were in any way to blame.

Deputy High Court judge David Pittaway QC said the girl's vision was impaired and she would need lifelong care and support.

Her legal team, headed by Christopher Johnston QC, said medics failed to advise her mother of alternatives before proceeding to a premature delivery.

He argued that, had the mother's pregnancy been allowed to continue for another two weeks, her daughter would have been born uninjured.

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, however, strongly denied that its staff were in any way to blame for the girl's injuries.

The pregnancy was not a typical one and NHS counsel, Robert Seabrook QC, said medical staff had carried out a careful risk-benefit analysis.

He argued that, had the mother's pregnancy continued, the risk of an unplanned, emergency delivery would have been increased.

Despite its denial of liability, Mr Seabrook expressed sympathy on behalf of the trust and wished the family well for the future.

Following negotiations, Mr Johnston said that the trust had agreed to settle the girl's claim for a lump sum of £3.5m.

Describing the settlement as "a good outcome", he said there was a significant risk that her claim might have failed altogether had there been a contested trial.

He told the girl's parents : "Your devotion to your daughter has been remarkable and serves as a constant example to us all."

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