Boy left brain damaged at birth awarded £8.5m to pay for care

 
Brain damage: Alfie Buck now needs round-the-clock care
18 April 2013

The parents of a seven-year-old boy left with severe brain damage by hospital blunders have been awarded £8.5 million in a High court settlement

Alfie Buck’s brain had been starved of oxygen during his mother’s labour at the Princess Royal hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex.

Midwives failed to monitor Alfie’s heart rate for more than 12 hours and refused an emergency caesarean.

Alfie, whose intelligence was largely spared by the brain damage, has cerebral palsy and suffers with painful spasms.

He is now completely reliant on a wheelchair, communicates using technology and is in need of 24-hour-support.

Yet had his birth been brought forward just 20 minutes it is highly likely he would have suffered no brain damage at all, the court heard.

Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust has admitted full responsibility and apologised.

The payout to Samantha and Andrew Buck, of Horsham, will fund a new wheelchair accessible home for the family with space for live in carers and cover rehabilitation such as physiotherapy, transport, education and a lifetime of specialist equipment and technology and care.

Said Mrs Buck:  “Alfie has a great sense of humour and his brother and sister dote on him.

“The cerebral palsy affects all his limbs making movement very difficult, but his mind is very bright and he can communicate by using specialist equipment that tracks eye movement.

“He continues to amaze us and his teachers at his specialist school and he truly is an inspiration.

“Having said that, caring for a child with cerebral palsy has to be the toughest job in the world as it is 24/7 and consumes your life.

“Not long after he was born the doctors told us brain scans showed severe abnormalities and it was hard not to be bitter or angry. It just felt very unfair as Alfie didn’t deserve it.”

 She added: “We have tried to give Alfie the best quality of life possible but the older and bigger he gets, the more his care needs increase. The settlement gives us peace of mind that he will always have access to the best possible treatment, equipment and services. We were also relieved to hear that the Trust has learnt lessons and hope these will continue to be implemented by all midwives.

“Nothing can turn back the clock or improve Alfie’s condition, but we can now all look to the future and concentrate on enjoying life as a family knowing we’re equipped to deal with whatever the future holds.”

Jane Weakley, a specialist in medical law at solciitors Irwin Mitchell, said:  “Alfie’s family have shown tremendous devotion and support to help him achieve the best quality of life possible over the last seven years, but the fact remains that his brain injury is so severe he needs specialist help from professionals.

“Our investigations showed that midwives were aware that Samantha was at risk of developing high blood pressure, but failed to provide basic midwifery care through monitoring and record keeping, resulting in irreparable brain damage. It was tragically a catalogue of errors.

“The settlement agreed today shows how complex Alfie’s care needs are and ensures he has access to the huge level of support, specialist equipment and therapies he will need as he grows into adolescence and adulthood.”

The Trust has pledged to learn from its mistakes.  

Ms Weakley added: “This case was about securing Alfie’s future, but the family were also keen to see that steps were taken by the Trust to ensure the same mistakes couldn’t happen again.

 “We hope any lessons that have been learnt here are shared across the NHS and improvements are made in midwifery training and staffing levels.”

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