Northampton General Hospital Compensation Claim

If you or a member of your family have been injured as a result of a breach of duty at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust you may be entitled to make a medical negligence compensation claim. To speak to an expert about your situation, call Quittance on 0800 376 1001.

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust Case Study

An 11-year-old girl was awarded £170,000 at a Child Settlement Approval Hearing after birth-related injuries left her with permanent disability in her left arm and shoulder. She was born via spontaneous vaginal delivery in 1993 and experienced shoulder dystocia, where one shoulder became stuck during birth. As a result, she sustained damage to the brachial plexus in her left arm.

Despite some neurological recovery without surgery, her condition did not fully return to normal. At age 3, she underwent two surgeries to correct a shoulder subluxation and to release a muscle. These procedures left residual scarring, and her treatment included physiotherapy and conservative methods.

Medical findings

At an examination in 2001, it was found that she had a droopy left shoulder, with the left arm sitting 5cm lower than the right. She experienced occasional pain when stretching her left arm and was unable to lift it above the horizontal due to reduced shoulder function. Her elbow and forearm movements were also restricted, though her grip strength remained almost equal in both hands.

Outcome

The injury had reached a plateau with no further spontaneous recovery expected. This affected her cosmetic appearance, career prospects, and participation in hobbies, sports, and leisure activities, leading to the compensation award.

Compensation Settlement

Judge Cernik awarded £33,000 (£45,357.59 RPI adjusted) for general damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity. This was apportioned as £30,000 for the shoulder and upper limb dysfunction and £3,000 for the scarring.

Special damages of £137,000 were awarded, bringing the total to £170,000 (£233,660.34 RPI adjusted)

See also:

Personal injury solicitors in Northampton

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust

Making a claim for medical or clinical negligence can seem initially overwhelming. Hospital Trusts are large complex organisations. Just finding out what happened can be complicated.

The panel of solicitors have significant experience in taking on hospital trusts and securing financial compensation for people affected by clinical or medical negligence.

Call us on 0800 376 1001 to discuss your situation with a claims expert or find out what your claim could be worth.

Disclaimer

Case studies are for informational purposes only and aim to help prospective claimants understand the injury claim process. They are based on cases handled by Quittance panel solicitors or sourced from public court records.

Author:
Gaynor Haliday, Legal researcher

About the author

Gaynor Haliday is an experienced legal researcher and published author. She has had numerous articles published in the press and is a legal industry commentator.