Great Ormond Street Hospital has agreed to pay more than £1 million compensation to a woman who suffered brain damage after a heart attack 14 years ago.
A damages agreement was approved between the UK’s most famous children’s hospital and the woman’s family by a High Court judge.
The woman, now in her 20s, was born disabled but was left severely incapacitated after suffering brain damage while at the hospital.
Lawyers told Mr Justice Warby, who analysed the case, that the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust had admitted a “breach of duty”.
The court heard necessary equipment had not been to hand after the woman had a heart attack at the hospital and treatment had been delayed.
The woman is now registered blind, has no voluntary movement in her limbs, cannot “take food orally” and is “very difficult to communicate with”.
It’s a terribly tragic case. She has lost the little that she had
<p>Barrister Christopher Hough</p>
The judge heard that prior to the heart attack, she had been “lively and intelligent” and was “making considerable progress”.
Hospital bosses have apologised to the woman’s parents but Mr Justice Warby described the incident as an “institutional failure”.
Barrister Christopher Hough, who represented the woman and her family, said a settlement package had been agreed with the trust.
Mr Hough said the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had cerebral palsy but had been "doing extremely well" as a child thanks to her parents' care.
He told the judge: “It’s a terribly tragic case. She has lost the little that she had.”
Mr Hough told the judge there had been a problem with equipment on a ward and a delay in resuscitation, adding the trust had admitted a breach of duty.
Margaret Bowron QC, who represented the trust, said a senior hospital official had written a letter of apology to the woman's parents and trust bosses were glad a settlement had been reached.
Miss Bowron praised the woman's parents for providing their daughter with "extraordinary" care and said her mother should be "especially commended".
Lawyers said the woman would get a payment of “over £1 million” plus “periodical payments” of more than £150,000 to pay for professional carers for the rest of her life.
Additional reporting by Press Association.
