Tragic death of baby
A Telford mother who lost her son at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital has settled her case. A negotiated settlement means Clare Russell will now receive compensation for the disastrous events which occurred in November 2003.
Clinical Negligence specialist Paula Nash from Lanyon Bowdler said: “I am grateful that the National Health Service Litigation Authority have at last taken a sensible approach with regard to this claim, it has meant we have now been able to settle matters without the necessity to attend a final hearing and Mr and Mrs Russell are at last able to get on with their life as best they can following their extremely sad loss.”
Speaking after settlement of the matter, Mrs Russell said “I would like to thank everyone who has helped and supported me through such a traumatic time. This has never been about the money but an important point of principle. We believe that we were very badly let down by the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and that with alternative management of my labour and delivery, to include more timely recognition of abnormalities occurring in labour and earlier intervention, Dylan’s life would have been spared. We have been advised that Dylan probably suffered a significant period of acute severe total hypoxia in the final 25-30 minutes prior to his delivery resulting in his death. This could have been avoided”.
Court proceedings were commenced against The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust as long ago as November 2006 following Dylan’s death at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. The Hospital Trust initially admitted in response to a formal complaint that there were abnormalities in labour which were not acted upon but then sought to withdraw this admission and thereafter to defend the claim made. This resulted in a protracted legal battle.