The courts are often called upon to sanction treatment for patients whose ability to make...
An 18-year-old girl who was left to face a lifetime of disability after medical staff failed to pick up a hormonal abnormality following her birth has won an NHS compensation package worth £6.25 million to pay for the care she will always need.
The girl was born with an under-active thyroid gland but did not receive appropriate treatment for four months. A neo-natal test for the condition had been incorrectly reported as normal, which meant that hormone replacement therapy was delayed. She suffered irreversible brain damage as a result and will never achieve cognitive function above that of a child aged eight or nine.
The NHS trust which managed the hospital did not dispute liability and agreed to a settlement of the case. The award comprised a £1.5 million lump sum and annual, index-linked and tax-free payments, rising to almost £160,000 a year. Some of the capital sum will be used to purchase a suitable new home for the girl and her family and the annual payments will fund her care for life.