Shoulder Dystocia Claim

A mother from Poole has spoken of her relief after finally receiving compensation from the hospital trust which left her daughter disabled from birth.

Julie Ann Nash’s daughter Laura Louise will receive £100,000 on her eighteenth birthday after Poole Hospital NHS Trust admitted making mistakes during her delivery in February 2003.  Seven years later, Laura Louise is still unable to feed or dress herself unaided.

During Laura-Louise’s birth it was noted that the head was delivered “with difficulty” and a Registrar was called for the delivery of shoulders.  Several efforts were made with rotation of head to “corkscrew” out the impacted shoulders.  On delivery, she required resuscitation and it was noted that she had severe shoulder dystocia.  A diagnosis of Erb’s Palsy was made.

Mrs Nash said, “I am extremely pleased that my daughter will now have funds available to help fund the care she will need for the rest of her life.  Laura Louise still has some restriction in her right shoulder and she finds it difficult to dress as a result.  She can find it difficult to hold any cutlery with her right hand due to the difficulty with fine finger movements.

“I would urge any pregnant woman who thinks they may have not have a normal, easy delivery to discuss with their obstetrician as early as possible to see what options are available to them”.

Francesca Dowse, Mrs Nash's solicitor, helped with the successful shoulder dystocia and Erb's Palsy claim. She commented: “Giving birth can be a traumatic experience enough on its own, but when life threatening medical errors are made the impacts can last a lifetime. It is likely that Laura Louise will never have full use of her right arm and we are extremely pleased to see that she will now be able to pay for the help she will need in her adult life.

“Erbs Palsy is a condition which nurses and doctors trained in the appropriate techniques for dealing with difficult deliveries should be able to prevent from occurring. We sincerely hope that the NHS Trust has put measures in place since Laura Louise’s birth to minimise the risk of other children being affected.”