Health trust to pay compensation to boy injured at birth
A health board in Wales has issued an apology to the parents of a four-year-old boy who was badly injured at birth, due to mistakes during his delivery.
The boy, from Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, was left with a severely disabled left arm because of errors made by midwives.
Injury lawyers for the family said problems had first arisen during pregnancy when the mother developed gestational diabetes.
A medical negligence specialist said: “The fact that both [mother] and [baby] received sub-standard midwifery care is serious cause for concern.
“Even after [mother’s] diabetes went undetected, resulting in baby being larger than normal at birth, there are universally accepted guidelines and procedures for dealing with a baby whose shoulders become stuck during delivery.
“Sadly, the midwives failed to follow these procedures, which have been common obstetric practice since the mid to late 1990s, resulting in sustaining permanent nerve damage to his left shoulder.”
Hywel Dda Health Board admitted liability for boy’s personal injury and said lessons had been learnt from the incident.
Along with the apology, the board also announced a six-figure compensation claim payout to the boy’s family. The boy’s mother said the compensation would help her son once he became an adult.
She added: “Nothing will compensate for the fact that my son was injured but we know we can look back and say we’ve done everything we could possibly do for him.
“It’s there for him to know that he can have the best possible start for his adult life.”
Updated on 07/04/2010