Medical negligence claims against Great Western Hospital Swindon

Aa 6-year-old girl at the time of settlement, received £10,000.00 for the failures of the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to identify and remove a foreign object from her larynx.

The Claimant’s father and Litigation Friend became concerned about the claimant’s eating and drinking during the week of 10 January 2020, just short of her first birthday. The Claimant was taken to her GP on 10 January 2020 where she was diagnosed with a viral upper respiratory tract infection. The Claimant’s father had already contacted the NHS 111 service prior to her attendance to the GP as well as after the visit.

On 11 January 2020 the Claimant was taken to the Urgent Care Centre, and the medical staff were given a history of the Claimant being unwell for five days with a runny nose and marked “drippling”. This was the fourth contact the Claimant had had with health professionals over a two-day period (10 and 11 January 2020). The Claimant’s father informed the health professionals that she was drinking less, had had a five-day history of a runny nose and a one-day history of vomiting. The Claimant had routine observations undertaken and a diagnosis of viral upper respiratory tract infection and teething was made.

The Claimant’s Litigation Friend contact the NHS 111 service on 12 January 2020 and the reported condition was a sore throat and not eating or drinking. There was also mention of stools looking back and tarry. An ambulance was called and the Claimant was taken to Great Western Hospital. The hospital diagnosed tonsilitis and dehydration and the management plan was for a fluid challenge and treatment with oral penicillin.

On 17 January 2020 the Claimant was seen again and a differential diagnosis of laryngomalacia or a vascular ring was made and lateral and anterior-posterior chest x-rays were requested, however no x-rays were performed.

RWK Goodman’s specialist clinical negligence team has secured a £8,250,000 lump sum award, together with annual periodical payments of £380,000 for life, for a 17 year old who sustained permanent and life limiting injuries at birth due to negligent care provided by Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The Claimant (referred to here as CD) was his mother’s first child. Early in the pregnancy, concerns were raised about a possible miscarriage. On 5 September 2007, when labour began, CD’s heart rate was significantly elevated, and his mother was admitted for monitoring.

In the early hours of 6 September 2007, a fetal scalp blood test was performed. The results prompted an urgent transfer to theatre for a caesarean section.

CD was born later that morning in a very poor condition. There were two loops of umbilical cord around his neck and a knot in the cord. He had been exposed to a prolonged period of chronic partial asphyxia and subsequently experienced hypoglycaemia shortly after birth.
CD alleged that, but for the failures in his management, he would have been born healthy and uninjured.

It was ultimately admitted that there were multiple failures in the care provided during labour and delivery, including that had CD been delivered by midnight, he would have avoided his injuries entirely.

Paul Rumley from RWK Goodman’s specialist clinical negligence team has secured £4,400,000 in damages, inclusive of interim payments and CRU, together with substantial periodical payments for life, for a child who sustained permanent brain injuries at birth due to negligent management of labour by Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in March 2000.

Our client (referred to here as MCS) was born in 2000 and is a dizygotic twin. During the pregnancy, serial ultrasound scans undertaken by the Defendant Trust identified that MCS was suffering from intrauterine growth retardation.

At 33 weeks’ gestation, on the afternoon prior to delivery, CTG monitoring demonstrated increasing fetal distress. Despite this clear evidence of fetal distress, clinicians failed to proceed promptly to deliver the twins. Instead, there was a prolonged period of indecision. It was not until 16:45 that the decision was finally made to perform an emergency caesarean section.

At 19:04, MCS’s twin was delivered, with MCS following two minutes later. By this time, MCS had suffered a significant period of asphyxia, resulting in severe and permanent brain damage.