Royal Hallamshire Hospital admits liability for girl denied ultrasound for hip dysplasia

Will Jones successfully concluded a claim for a young girl whose bilateral developmental dysplasia of the hip went undiagnosed until shortly before her sixth birthday.

During investigations it became clear that an ultrasound should have been arranged shortly after the Claimant's birth because the neonatal examination had revealed ''clunky'' hips. An ultrasound would have revealed hip dysplasia, and would have resulted in simple treatment using a splint and normal hip development.

Expert evidence showed that the delay in diagnosis resulted in serious injury, including a need for surgery during childhood, premature arthritis in early adulthood, and a need for hip replacement surgeries on both hips in later life.

As a result of the overwhelming evidence again the hospital (Royal Hallamshire Hospital) Will was able to obtain a full admission of liability against the Trust and then worked very closely with the family to value the claim.

The parents received damages to compensate them for the extra care they had provided and various expenses incurred. The Claimant received damages to pay for future medical treatment, care and assistance, therapies, and for aids, equipment and property adaptations.

As the Claimant is a child Will arranged for the damages to be paid into a Personal Injury Trust – which allows the Claimant to access money as and when it is needed and to ensure that the damages is sensibly invested for the future.

The Claimant was awarded a total of £605,000.

Following settlement, the family said: ''Thank you again for all your amazing work, it really can't be put into words how much we all appreciate what you've done for us. You made what was initially a terrifying prospect of taking a case to court into such a smooth and friendly journey''.

Contact us

For further information about paediatrics negligence claims and delayed diagnosis claims, please call Will Jones on 03304606822 or email will.jones@fieldfisher.com.

Alternatively

• You can speak to our medical negligence lawyers on freephone 0800 358 3848
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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.