A 17-year-old girl who suffered a serious brain injury following her birth at North Middlesex University Hospital has been awarded £3million in compensation.
The High Court approved the compensation package for the girl, known as ‘JXX’ to protect her identity, who was born prematurely at the Edmonton hospital in 2007. She sustained a serious brain injury due to a significant bleed shortly after birth and now lives with profound and permanent injuries.
JXX has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, visual impairment, and epilepsy. She requires 24-hour care and has undergone multiple surgeries throughout her life.
Following the ordeal, her family instructed medical negligence experts at Simpson Millar to investigate the care she received and bring a claim for compensation against North Middlesex University Hospitals NHS Trust. The organisation was recently merged into Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
The legal claim alleged that clinicians failed to properly assess and respond to a significant drop in haemoglobin levels, which contributed to the development of intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) — a type of bleeding in the brain that can occur in premature babies when the delicate blood vessels near the brain’s ventricles rupture.
JXX went on to suffer from a post-haemorrhagic hydrocephalus, a serious condition where fluid builds up in the brain due to the blockage caused by the bleed. This can increase pressure within the skull and cause further damage to the brain, particularly in very young and vulnerable infants and result in lasting neurological damage.
As part of the claim against North Mid, JXX’s legal team argued that action to identify the severity of the bleed and to deliver treatment sooner could have altered the outcome.
The case has now settled out of court without an admission of liability.
The £3million settlement, approved by the High Court earlier this month, will go towards funding the teenager’s lifelong care needs, including therapies, specialist equipment, and adapted accommodation to support both her and her family.
JXX’s mother said: “The injuries my daughter suffered are profound, and it has been a long and difficult 17 years as we’ve tried to come to terms with what happened and the impact it has had on her life – and mine.
“I truly believe that if she had received better care from the beginning, she might now be reaching major milestones and preparing for an independent future. That will never happen for her, and it’s something we will always carry with us.
“Reaching a settlement brings some relief, but there is no sense of victory. This is not about financial gain – it’s about giving my daughter the chance to live with dignity and as much independence as possible.