Health Law

Hospital Accepts Liability for Girl's Cerebral Palsy

A hospital in Worcestershire, England, has admitted that medical mistakes led to the development of quadriplegic cerebral palsy in Holly Nixon. A medical negligence specialist and cerebral palsy lawyer for the family said Holly will likely require 24-hour care for the rest of her life.

Holly’s Ordeal

Holly was born by way of C-section in July 2003. At about 38 weeks’ gestation, Holly’s mother, Emma, began noticing problems. An exam revealed that Emma was experiencing raised blood pressure, but she was not admitted to the hospital.

The next day, the baby stopped moving and it was determined that Emma’s blood pressure had increased even more. Still, she was not admitted to the hospital. On the following day, Emma had a scan that showed fetal distress. The distress was not recognized until a second scan was performed later that day.

An emergency C-section was scheduled but delayed for several hours. During this time, Holly suffered irreparable brain damage due to oxygen deprivation. 

Preventable Medical Errors

“Holly is a wonderful little girl and she is loved very much by all who know her. However, by now she should be running around with her friends and starting music or dance classes,” Emma Nixon said. “We have been robbed of this and so many other opportunities that she should have had in life and it’s extremely difficult to come to terms with this, particularly as we now know it’s all down to basic mistakes made during her birth.”

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has agreed to start a fund for Holly’s care, but the total amount of compensation has yet to be determined.

Full post as published by Cerebral Palsy Law Blog on September 26, 2008 (boomark / email).