ROMFORD — The Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust agreed to a £28 million out-of-court settlement after admitting clinical failures caused a brain injury to a child born at Queen's Hospital in Romford in July 2019. The child's family filed a lawsuit in the high court prior to the settlement.
During labor, trust staff failed to monitor the infant's heart rate and did not request an obstetrician review of the delivery. The infant experienced severe hypoxia-ischaemia, which resulted in cognitive and language impairments and epilepsy. The child, now six years old, experiences unpredictable seizures and requires constant supervision because she does not recognize danger. Medical assessments project declining mobility over her lifetime, and she will require lifelong care. The £28 million settlement amount reflects these projected lifetime care costs and an estimated life expectancy of 83 years.
The child's mother called for an overhaul of maternity care 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," the mother 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," she said. Neither the mother nor the daughter is publicly identifiable due to legal restrictions.
Nic Kane, chief nurse at the trust, expressed regret over the care provided. Kane said, "We're extremely sorry the care this child and their family experienced was not good enough." Kane added, "We'd like to reassure them, and all our expectant mothers, that since this birth in 2019 we've learned lessons, made significant changes and our maternity department has been rated good by the Care Quality Commission."
Health secretary James Murray stated that transforming maternity care is a priority and services will undergo comprehensive reform. Murray assumed his role last month, replacing Wes Streeting. He said, "This brings it home in the strongest possible sense how human and how devastating this can be, and how important it is that we change."
Maternity care incidents account for 11% of medical negligence damages claims against the NHS in England. These claims represent 53% of the total financial value of NHS medical negligence payouts. Guy Forster, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, said, "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."