Health

‘I lost the child he could have been’: Mother’s anger at birth blunder



The mother of a boy who was left brain damaged due to a catastrophic birth today told how she would never get over the injuries he suffered.

A High Court judge has now awarded the boy — who has cerebral palsy, acute learning difficulties and cannot speak, — almost £13 million compensation.

A midwife at King George Hospital in Ilford had failed to alert a doctor despite a slowing heart rate — a sign of distress in the womb.

The child’s head became stuck for 10 minutes during delivery and the cord was wrapped around his neck, starving him of oxygen.

The child is now 11 and cannot be identified under the court order.

Today his mother spoke of her anger and distress at how the botched delivery had changed her son’s life.

She said: “Even though I haven’t lost a child, I have lost the child that he could have been. I’m still angry to this day about the care he received when he was born.

“That feeling of pain and frustration will never go away. My son has so much going for him, but I am so sad at what has been taken away from him.

“He has a younger brother and seeing him develop makes me realise what he, my first son, has lost. I don’t think I will ever get over what happened to him. It is like suffering a bereavement.”

Last month Judge Michael Platt agreed a £12,939,000 settlement with Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS trust, which runs King George.

The hospital closed its maternity unit in 2013, transferring all deliveries to sister hospital Queen’s, in Romford.

The trust admitted liability for the injuries. The delivery was hampered by shoulder dystocia — a situation when the baby’s head is delivered but the shoulder becomes trapped.

The boy’s mother said: “He was going grey and was transferred to another hospital in the middle of the night. I had to wait for 12 hours, not knowing if my son was ok or not. It was the worst 12 hours of my life.

“My son was on life support and the doctors didn’t hold out much hope for him. But he pulled through against the odds which was unbelievable really.”

The boy loves swimming, watching football and going to the cinema. His mother said he had a great sense of humour and “massive personality”,  adding: “If he had had the proper care this would never have happened. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.”

Angela Nunn, partner at Hodge Jones & Allen, which represents the child, said: “He will need full-time care for the rest of his life and specialist equipment. The settlement will allow him to be cared for for the rest of his life and I hope it gives some solace to his family who have been through so much.”

Kathryn Halford, chief nurse at Barking, Havering and Redbridge trust, said: “We would like to sincerely apologise to the patient and their family.

“We have since made significant improvements, including better support and training for midwives, and strengthening processes to improve how we detect issues during labour so we can deal with them before they escalate. Every incident is reported, allowing us to learn from these.”



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