Recently there was a case of two siblings who were both victims of improper care during their births which left them with Cerebral Palsy.
Natasha and brother Patrick were born after improper care left them with cerebral palsy, a general term for a number of neurological conditions that affect movement and co-ordination.
Their mother Paula McKay was said to be left devastated in 1991 after her daughter Natasha was born severely disabled because she was starved of oxygen during her birth, at the former Sharoe Green Hospital in Preston Lancashire.
Similarly her brother Patrick's birth was delayed leaving him starved of oxygen at the same hospital.
After 17 years of legal battles where liability was contested, Natasha was awarded £7 million and brother Patrick £6 million after a successful birth injury claim was brought.
Although their claims were successful it doesn’t recover the quality of life and well being the children would have enjoyed, had they received the proper care they needed during birth.
The family's solicitor went on to say:
“Nothing can be done to turn back the clock but with the settlement of Natasha’s case Paula will have the support she needs to provide that care to her daughter and ensure that she does not have to worry about the future, especially when she is not here anymore, which was a huge concern.”
In my opinion this clearly shows that hospitals fail to learn from mistakes. The culture is one of damage limitation to reputations rather than damage prevention of patients.
For this to happen to one family would seem like a one off but I acted for a brother and sister who were born in the 1990s with avoidable arm injuries which left both of them with a condition called Erb's Palsy. Again there were missed opportunities by the hospital to acknowledge there had been failures and to learn from the mistakes when the first baby was born. Some may think that the situation has improved since the 1990s but it is hard for me to say that when I see the devastating mistakes that continue to be made.
Original story - www.telegraph.co.uk
Image Credit - Brendan Pittaway