£24m settlement for child with cerebral palsy in missed pre-eclampsia case at Stepping Hill Hospital - Medical Negligence Solicitors Stockport | Fieldfisher
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Case Study

£24m settlement for child with cerebral palsy in missed pre-eclampsia case at Stepping Hill Hospital

A woman with long, straight brown hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a blue button-up shirt and is posed against a blurred background that appears to be a window overlooking a cityscape.
Jenny Urwin
A close-up of a parent gently holding the tiny hand of a newborn baby. The baby is swaddled in a soft blanket and resting against the parent's chest, capturing a tender and intimate moment. The background is softly blurred, keeping the focus on the hands.
Jenny Urwin successfully concluded a claim against Stockport NHS Foundation Trust on behalf of a child who suffered severe quadriplegic cerebral palsy after midwives failed to properly treat his mother's pre-eclampsia.

Despite a family history of pre-eclampsia, when the baby's mother attended a routine ante-natal appointment at her GP surgery, staff failed to act on clear indications of pre-eclampsia including swelling of her fingers, ankles and feet, headache and concerns over reduced fetal movement.

Rather than referring the mother immediately to Stepping Hill Hospital that morning, as she should have done, the attending midwife sent the mother home with instructions for her to attend hospital for an appointment the midwife made for 5.30pm. The mother felt increasingly unwell during the afternoon and went to hospital for her pre-arranged appointment as she had been advised.

There was then a further delay of more than three hours in delivering the baby by emergency caesarean, despite a CTG indicating pathological changes in the baby's heart rate and deterioration in the mother's condition. Due to this delay, the baby suffered hypoxic ischaemia resulting in cerebral palsy.

Evidence showed that had the mother been referred to hospital immediately by the midwife, the baby would have been delivered by 2pm and would likely not have been injured.

The child, now 11 years old, suffers severe learning difficulties, epilepsy and behavioural problems, is fed via gastrostomy and requires full waking night care and 2:1 care during the day.

Jenny successfully achieved an award of compensation, including annual payments for care and case management, equivalent to a lump sum of £24m. The settlement will fund appropriate care, therapies, equipment and adapted accommodation for the child.

Contact us

For further information about cerebral palsy claims and birth injury claims, please call Jenny Urwin on 03304606776 or email jenny.urwin@fieldfisher.com.

Alternatively

All enquiries are completely free of charge and we will investigate all funding options for you including no win no fee. Find out more about no win no fee claims.