Millions for Boy Who Suffered Brain Damage at Birth

The parents of a five-year-old boy have secured compensation for him worth millions of pounds after medical mistakes during his birth left him severely brain damaged.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was starved of oxygen during his delivery at the Ulster Hospital in Belfast, leaving him with severe cerebral palsy.

His parents brought a claim against South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, which is responsible for the hospital. The Trust admitted liability for the boy’s injuries in September 2012, acknowledging that he should have been delivered sooner.

The exact amount of the compensation payable took some time to finalise, because of difficulties in assessing the extent of the boy’s injuries and the likely cost of his future care. Shortly before the High Court was due to decide the matter, the level of the award was settled by agreement.

The precise amount of the settlement has not been disclosed but is believed to be around £4 million. It covers the care, aid and equipment that the child will require and, as is usual in such cases, consists of a lump sum together with annual payments to cover the ongoing care costs.