Failure to diagnose new born's dislocated hip - £25k compensation
Boyes Turner’s medical negligence lawyers recovered £25k in compensation for a 5 year old girl after hospital staff, a paediatric physiotherapist and a GP failed to diagnose the dislocated hip she was born with.
After she was born, her mother reported that she was lying in a frog like position, but was told that this was normal and she was discharged from hospital. At discharge she underwent a hip examination by a junior doctor, which was recorded as normal. A month later she was seen by a paediatric physiotherapist who noted that her left hip was a little stiff and told the mother to do some stretching exercises. She was also seen by her GP and both hips were recorded as normal.
However eight months after she was born, a health visitor reported concern about her hips. Consequently an x-ray was carried out, which showed that she had a complete dislocation of the left hip.
She had to undergo three surgical procedures to correct the dislocation and had to wear a hip spica cast. If the diagnosis had been made at an earlier stage then, on the balance of probabilities, she would not have needed any surgery to correct the dislocation.
She has been left with significant scarring and currently has no substantial long term problems.
Her mother took advice from Boyes Turner’s medical negligence lawyers and a compensation claim was brought against the hospital for the failure to diagnose the dislocated hip which resulted in the additional surgical procedures and a period of pain and suffering.
Expert evidence was obtained from a consultant orthopaedic surgeon who considered that our client's long term prognosis had not been affected by the delay in diagnosis. Even though liability was not admitted by the defendant hospital, a settlement figure of £25k in compensation was negotiated by Boyes Turner’s lawyers.
There was no cost to our client in bringing the claim.
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