Teenager suing New Cross over 'appalling errors' during birth

A disabled teenager is suing the trust that runs New Cross Hospital for millions of pounds in damages over "appalling" errors during her birth.

The 14 year old developed cerebral palsy and debilitating mental difficulties after problems arose during her delivery at New Cross in 2000. She will need 24-hour care for the rest of her life.

Through her mother, the teenager has launched a multi-million-pound legal action against Royal Wolverhampton Hospital NHS Trust, which is also facing a 325,000 claim from a woman who was sent home after a drunken fall in the street but readmitted in a coma the following day.

The girl's lawyers claim that her birth was negligently handled.

A three-week High Court hearing in London heard yesterday that her delivery involved "appalling management of an obstetric emergency".

But the trust contends that, while it breached its duty of care in some respects, this did not cause the girl's devastating injuries.

The girl's mother was rushed to hospital by her partner at 11.25pm on August 22, 2000. She was suffering from a placental abruption - an acutely painful condition where the placental lining becomes separated from the uterus. She gave birth at 12.40am and lawyers for the family say a decision to undertake a caesarean section should have been made quicker and the baby born by midnight.

Satinder Hunjan QC said: ""Our case is that the delay in this case was appalling. Whether it was 25 minutes or 40 minutes, the consequences for my client have been serious".

The trust accepts that there was a failure to identify the problem quickly enough and that the baby girl suffered "serious" brain damage by the time she was delivered.

The barrister argued that, while the teenager would not have avoided injury entirely, she would have suffered "less severe" damage had medics acted faster.

View post:
Teenager suing New Cross over 'appalling errors' during birth