A six-year-old girl who suffered severe brain damage at birth has secured a £28 million settlement from the NHS trust responsible for her care. The family accepted the damages after Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS trust admitted its failures led to the tragedy.
Birth complications and lifelong impact
The girl was born at Queen's Hospital in Romford, east London, in July 2019. During labour, staff failed to monitor her heart rate adequately and did not call an obstetrician for review. These oversights resulted in severe hypoxia-ischaemia—a lack of oxygen to the brain—leaving the child with profound disabilities.
She now suffers from epilepsy and unpredictable seizures, and is expected to lose mobility progressively. She will require round-the-clock care for cognitive and language impairments, and constant supervision due to a lack of danger awareness and excessive friendliness with strangers.
Legal settlement and mother's plea
The settlement, reached out of court in the high court, reflects the high cost of lifelong care and an estimated lifespan of 83 years. The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, demanded urgent action from ministers and NHS leaders to overhaul maternity services.
“My daughter is thriving and doing well. But it’s impossible for me to forget that I was robbed of the precious experience of most mothers giving birth by the horror of what happened to us,” she said. “Seven years on, I’m still deeply affected by seeing the hospital’s name crop up in the press regarding tragedies for other families and their babies. This is despite the repeated promises of the government and endless reviews into maternity safety. Surely someone must take the bull by the horns and take action to change things.”
Ongoing reviews and government response
Two major reviews are due this month: Donna Ockenden's investigation into maternity-related deaths and injuries in Nottingham, and a government-commissioned review by Labour peer Valerie Amos on the state of childbirth services. Health Secretary James Murray, who succeeded Wes Streeting, called the experiences of bereaved parents “horrific” and pledged “comprehensive reform” of maternity care.
Blunders in maternity care account for 11% of all medical negligence claims against the NHS in England, but represent 53% of total damages value due to the catastrophic nature of injuries. The £28 million payout is not the largest; a 2020 case involving a boy starved of oxygen at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS trust cost £37 million.
Trust apology and expert criticism
Jane Weakley, the family's lawyer from Fieldfisher, said: “Too many times the medical negligence team at Fieldfisher takes on cases where the same terrible mistakes are repeated, bringing untold tragedy.” Nic Kane, chief nurse at the trust, apologised: “We’re extremely sorry the care this child and their family experienced was not good enough. Since 2019 we’ve learned lessons, made significant changes, and our maternity department has been rated good by the Care Quality Commission.”
However, Guy Forster, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, warned that despite numerous reviews, “we’re not seeing a reduction in avoidable harm. The NHS needs to respond better when things go wrong. Compliance with the statutory duty of candour has been sporadic across trusts. When trusts are not transparent, vital lessons are not learned and the same patterns of harm are repeated again and again.”
