Relief as disabled boy wins £5m deal

Published on Saturday 28 March 2009 20:00

THE mother of a boy left disabled through a hospital blunder has told of her relief after a £5m compensation payout secured his future.

Monica Giles's son Jordan, 10, developed cerebral palsy following difficulties at his birth.

Mrs Giles said she feared her "wee miracle" would not survive after he was born at the Vale of Leven Hospital in Dunbartonshire.

The family has now been awarded 5.25m by the NHS in an out-of-court settlement, Scotland's biggest compensation payout.

She said: "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. Life shouldn't have been as hard as it has been for him."

Jordan attends a mainstream school, but cannot dress or wash himself and also suffers from epilepsy.

Mrs Giles, 39, who split with Jordan's father a few years ago, is not able to work as she looks after her son full-time.

Some of the money from the payout will reportedly be used to buy special equipment and adapt a new house for Jordan. The rest will be kept in a trust and court officials will monitor how the funds are spent.

A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "We can confirm that the NHS has made an out- of-court settlement payment to the family following their claim against the former Argyll and Clyde health board regarding the very sad circumstances surrounding the birth of their son in 1998."

The Argyll and Clyde health board was dissolved in 2006 and its services divided between NHS Greater Glasgow and NHS Highland.

NHS blunders in Scotland have resulted in 36m in compensation payouts in the past two years, it emerged yesterday.