Wolverhampton trust faces £6m pay-out

The care package was approved at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Monday and will ensure 11-year-old Joseph O’Reggio, who has severe cerebral palsy, will receive care for the rest of his life.

Doctors and midwives at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton did not act quickly enough when his heart rate changed during his birth in April 2001, leaving him completely reliant on a wheelchair, unable to speak and feed himself and needing round-the-clock care.

His parents Rachel and Julian took legal action against the hospital and last year won an admission from the Royal Wolverhampton Trust that it was liable for the majority of Joe’s injuries and that he should have been delivered earlier.

The multi-million fund will be held in trust with an immediate lump sum for the family to move into a new home. Joseph will also have access to specialist rehabilitation equipment and a multi-sensory room.

Sara Burns, partner and medical negligence expert at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors who represented the family, said: “Mistakes made during Joe’s care should simply not have happened.

“Patient safety must be the top priority across the NHS, but sadly, we continue to be contacted by families whose children have been left brain damaged as a result of negligent hospital staff.”