Settlement is agreed after birth left child with severely disabled arm

From the archive, first published Thursday 9th Mar 2006.

A SANDBACH family have received compensation from Leighton Hospital for 'medical errors' that left their child disabled.

Isabella Cope, now aged nine, was left with a severely disabled right arm as the result of the management of her birth.

A spokesman for the family's lawyers said: "During the course of the birth it would seem that Isabella's shoulders became stuck behind her mother's pubic bone after her head was delivered.

"It was alleged that the delivering doctor and midwives did not employ the standard manoeuvres to overcome this problem and as a result the nerves in Isabella's back were stretched resulting in an Erm's Palsy of Isabella's right arm.

"She has undergone surgery to try to improve her arm, shoulder and hand function but has been left with a right arm with little use, which means that normal everyday activities are difficult for her.

"A trial date had been set, but following negotiations, between Isabella's solicitor Tim Dyde and a solicitor for the hospital, an agreement was reached on a monetary settlement for Isabella at Liverpool District Registry, where Mr Justice Lloyd-Jones approved the settlement."

A hospital spokesman said: "As a policy Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust does not comment on individual claims or cases.

"Speaking generally however, a great deal of work has gone into ensuring Trust staff work to the highest professional standards.

"The Trust also has strong systems in place, so any lessons learned from a claim can be shared with all necessary staff."

Archive Home