Cerebral palsy boy to get £5.2m in record NHS damages pay-out

Published on Saturday 28 March 2009 00:45

THE family of a boy who developed cerebral palsy after hospital blunders at his birth has been awarded Scotland's biggest out -of-court settlement by the NHS, it has emerged.

Monica Giles, 39, whose son Jordan, ten, was born at the Vale of Leven Hospital in Dunbartonshire, said the 5.2 million would secure his future.

"The settlement means I know he will be looked after when his dad and I are gone. All I want is for Jordan to have a happy life and grow up normally like any other kid," Mrs Giles said.

The 5.25 million pay-out will be shared by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Highland after the birth of the boy in 1998.

Blunders have cost the NHS in Scotland 36 million in compensation pay-outs in the past two years, it emerged yesterday.

The period has seen the highest and second highest bills for clinical negligence, according to figures released by the Conservatives. In 2006-7, 21.4 million was paid out, according to figures received by the party's public health spokesman, Jackson Carlaw MSP.

This was followed by a pay-out of 14.5 million last year (2007-8). The compensation bill was 2.8 million in the first full year of devolution (1999-2000).

Mr Carlaw said: "All Scots concerned about the future of the NHS will be shocked to learn that clinical negligence payouts have cost almost 36 million over the last two years.

"That's 36 million that could and should have been spent on direct patient care."

The total number of claims being processed in 2004-5 was 2,879, including 455 new claims. By 2007-8 this had fallen to 1,409. "This demonstrates continuing and significant improvement in the quality of NHS services in Scotland," a spokesman said.