Hospital made to pay compensation to cerebral palsy sufferer

A hospital has been ordered to pay compensation to a boy who suffers from cerebral palsy.

Robert Feeney was delivered at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in 2000.

His mother, Andrea, had a scar as a result of an emergency Caesarean section which she underwent during the birth of her third child, the Blackpool Gazette reports.

While she was in labour with Robert, the scar ruptured and, after leaving the womb, he was trapped in his mother's abdominal cavity for around half-an-hour until doctors surgically removed him.

As a result of his cerebral palsy - which is caused by lack of oxygen to the brain and affects movement and coordination - the eight-year-old has difficulty communicating and getting around.

In a recent development, Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust settled the case on the basis of 50 per cent liability and was told to pay Robert a lump sum of £1 million, plus regular payments for the rest of his life.

18/11/2008 16:34