Birth injury compensation news
29/10/2010

Family to receive damages

The parents of a boy who suffered blindness in one eye, as a result of "misuse of forceps" during delivery, are seeking birth injury compensation from Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Although the trust has admitted liability for the birth injury, compensation claim negotiations between personal injury lawyers and the trust's insurance representatives have so far been unable to determine the size of payout to be awarded.

The family's medical negligence lawyer explained the family's motives for seeking birth injury compensation.

"The doctors failed to inform [the mother] of their treatment plan and failed to obtain consent for a forceps delivery," he said.

He added that the mother was "made to sign a consent form agreeing to a forceps delivery after the birth whilst she was in the recovery room in a state of shock. This is completely unacceptable practice.

"My clients were treated appallingly by the NHS trust concerned who have still not said what steps are being taken to discipline or re-educate the doctor who delivered [the boy]. Such action has to be taken if the public are going to have confidence in NHS maternity services.

"It's no good just closing ranks and hoping that it won't happen again."

As well as suffering blindness in one eye the boy suffered a fractured skull, and may also have suffered brain damage, all of which will be factors in determining the amount of birth injury compensation to be awarded.