UK family sues National Health Services for medical malpractice

A Llanwern family is suing the Aneurin Bevan Health Board for negligence in the birth of their daughter, alleging that the healthcare service caused her cerebral palsy.

Christopher and Louise Riley are seeking damages from National Health Services (NHS) for causing multiple birth injuries to their 8-year old daughter Harriet, who suffers from cerebral palsy, epilepsy and a number of other physical conditions, reports the South Wales Argus.

According to the news source, Harriet requires round-the-clock healthcare, is unable to speak or move, and must be fed out of a tube. When she was 4 years old, her development had ceased to progress further than that of a nine-month old baby.

Charges against the health board include failure to call for medical assistance during labor, failure to prepare for assisted delivery and failure to recognize hyperstimulation, which deprives the baby of oxygen.

The Rileys are also claiming their doctor mistook Harriet’s abnormal heart rate for her mother’s during delivery, says the Argus.

It is unclear the amount the Rileys are seeking from the NHS, however damages are related to health care costs and consequences.

Cerebral palsy is the result of permanent brain damage, many times caused by medical malpractice.