Parents of baby left brain damaged after NHS failure get £35,000,000 payout
The parents of a baby left severely brain damaged by an NHS error have received a £35,000,000 payout.
The newborn was devastated by sepsis and meningitis after staff at Great Western Hospital NHS Trust in Swindon failed to treat her for a common infection.
The child was left severely brain damaged after the mistakes, which have left her requiring two-to-one, 24-hour care for the rest of her life, The Times reports.
The girl’s parents have now received one of the highest payouts for maternity negligence in NHS history – at £35 million provided over the course of her lifetime.
Medical staff overlooked clear warning signs for a streptococcus B bacteria infection in both the mother and the newborn baby.
Despite showing a high temperature and other symptoms, the mum was not tested for strep B.
Because of this, the baby should have been given antibiotics intravenously immediately after birth.
However, it took 16 hours for the deteriorating newborn, who had by then developed a fever, blotches on her skin, to receive the crucial treatment.
What is Strep B bacteria at birth?
Strep B bacteria is carried by 20 to 25 per cent of adults in the UK, only rarely causing symptoms, illness or infection.
It is commonly carried in the gut or vagina, and the danger is that pregnant women can give it to their babies during a vaginal birth.
The child picks it up as it moves down the birth canal, while babies born by caesarean section have a far lower risk or picking it up.
But it was too late, as she then became ill with sepsis and strep B-related meningitis, resulting in severe brain damage.
The brain-damaged child, who is now 11 and cannot be named for legal reasons, has been debilitated for life by the errors.
She will need 24-hour care from two nurses for the rest of her life.
The hospital trust admitted that the delay in diagnosis and treatment of the infection likely stopped them preventing the the child’s brain damage.
The heartbroken parents said the massive NHS payout of £35 million will not make up for the life opportunities their child has lost forever.
They said in a statement in The Times: ‘We consider ourselves immensely fortunate and grateful to still have her by our side, particularly during the early stages when survival seemed uncertain.
‘Nevertheless, we will forever mourn the life she could have lived and the experiences she will never get to have.
(Picture Shutterstock / horsemen)
‘No compensation can fully alleviate the pain and suffering she endured or restore the life she could have and should have had.
‘Despite this, the financial security she will now possess ensures that she will be well looked after even when we are no longer here. This brings us a great sense of relief.’
The girl’s case marks the second time untreated step B infections in newborns have hit the headlines.
The parents Zachary Taylor-Smith, who died 14 hours after he was born from a strep B infection in November 2022, have spoken out about the risks of infection.
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton trust admitted antibiotics could have been prevented his death.
His parents Tim and Hannah, told the BBC: ‘We were not told about the risk of group B strep, and knowing about it could have been a different story.’
Campaigners are calling for the NHS to be proactive in testing for strep B in pregnant woman.
Countries such as America, Canada, France and Germany do this routinely, but the UK does not view this as essential.
Jane Plumb of the charity Group B Strep Support, said: ‘We’re a real outlier here, which is devastating because routine testing could — and in other countries does — prevent most of these infections and ease long-term pressure on the NHS.’
Her own son Theo died as a result of a strep B infection in March 1996.
Plumb and the girl’s parents want the government to provide all women £15 swab test towards the end of their pregnancy to help avoid a repeat of what they went through.
Plumb’s work has also exposed the fact that the Great Western Hospital Trust were still not following national guidelines for strep B.
A freedom of information request showed the trust were not giving a leaflet on the bacteria to all mothers they cared for, only those believed to be at higher risk or who tested positive.
Luisa Goddard, chief nurse at the Great Western Trust, told Metro in a statement: ‘We have formally apologised to the family involved for the trauma and distress they experienced during birth and over the last 11 years.
‘We hope that the settlement agreed will go some way in supporting the child through their life and ensuring they can receive the ongoing care they need.
‘Whilst our policy states that all women should receive an information leaflet about Group B Streptococcus, we are aware that this does not always happen, however all women who are symptomatic for Group B Streptococcus do receive the leaflet.
‘We have reminded our maternity staff about the importance of providing every woman with key clinical information, including the information leaflet, and will strictly monitor this compliance.’
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said of the payout: ‘Our deepest sympathies are with those affected by this tragic case.
‘While there is currently insufficient evidence that the benefits of routine screening of pregnant women for group B strep infections could outweigh potential harms, an ongoing clinical trial is exploring this issue.’
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