A Nottingham woman, who was left with cerebral palsy after being starved of oxygen during a routine operation when she was a baby, has been awarded a six-figure settlement of compensation for hospital surgical procedure error at London´s High Court.
Stacey Jayne Smith (24) was brought to Nottingham City Hospital in 1988 with a high temperature and doctors, suspecting gall stones, scheduled an operation to removed Stacey Jayne´s gall bladder. However, as Mr Justice Tugendhat at the High Court heard, during the surgical procedure Stacey Jayne´s bowel was punctured and she went into cardiac arrest.
Although she was resuscitated, Stacy Jayne´s heart had stopped and she suffered catastrophic brain injuries as a result. Stacey Jayne now has cerebral palsy and had to cope throughout her childhood with severe learning difficulties and experiences problems with walking long distances.
Stacey Jayne´s parents made a hospital negligence claim against the East Midlands Strategic Health Authority (EMSHA) who, after an investigation, acknowledged their error and agreed an undisclosed settlement of compensation for hospital surgical procedure error which is believe to be in six figures.
Approving the hospital compensation settlement, Mr Justice Tugendhat said “I do express my sympathy to Stacey’s family and wish them all the best for the future. Stacey has been very fortunate in the support her family has given her, so lovingly, for so long.”