Blake Lapthorn secures payment for client in clincial
negligence case against Watford General Hospital
Blake Lapthorn, one of the leading law firms in the UK, is
pleased to announce that its Cerebral Palsy team has secured a
fourth successive multi-million pound settlement for a severely
handicapped client as a result of alleged negligent hospital
treatment.
At a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice on 24 January 2012,
the Court approved a settlement between the parties that M will
receive 85% of the full value of his claim for pain, suffering,
loss of amenity, care, therapies, aids and equipment for the whole
of his lifetime.
M is severely disabled with quadriplegic cerebral palsy,
blindness and epilepsy. He is wheelchair bound, tube fed and he has
no useful movement of his limbs though he responds to touch and
sounds.
M was born at Watford General Hospital in 2004. The Trust has
admitted that M should have been delivered more than six hours
earlier because he was showing signs of distress. The Trust denies
that the negligent delay in delivery caused M's disabilities, which
it is agreed were caused by a lack of oxygen at the time of his
birth.
It is M's case that the negligent delay in delivery caused his
disabilities.
This was complex case to bring because the Cardiotocography
reading showed cause for concern when M's Mother was admitted to
hospital prior to his delivery and M's condition at birth was not
as one would usually expect in a baby who has suffered a prolonged
shortage of oxygen just before delivery.
There were other potential causes of M's damage that had to be
eliminated by various tests and an MRI, and initially the experts
were not encouraging about the prospects of success. However, the
strength of the claim increased due to the dedication of the team
investigating the case such that settlement was agreed shortly
before Trial which was listed for the end of January 2012.
The amount of compensation that M will receive will be
calculated by preparing a schedule based upon reports by various
experts who will assess his likely future needs.
Sue Jarvis, a partner at Blake Lapthorn who leads the firm's
Cerebral Palsy team in Oxford, said: "M's parents have cared for
him lovingly throughout his life. He requires 24-hour care and an
interim payment will allow the family to move to more appropriate
accommodation and to begin to purchase the professional care, aids
and equipment that M will need for the rest of his life."
If you are the parent of adults or children with cerebral palsy,
please contact Sue Jarvis, head of Blake Lapthorn's Cerebral Palsy team in
Oxford, on 01865 254 293 or
email her at sue.jarvis@bllaw.co.uk
for a confidential discussion.
