Disabled boy awarded £3m payout

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A 10-year-old boy left disabled after an alleged hospital blunder when he was a baby has won a compensation deal worth more than £3m.

Lawyers for Matthew Goode argued he was left cortically blind by oxygen starvation suffered during his birth at Watford Hospital in May 1997.

Through his mother Katriona, Matthew, of Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead, sued the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Trust agreed to settle his case on the basis of 85% liability.

In a statement to the court, Mr and Mrs Goode said: "We have worked tirelessly for over nine years to try to resolve this case.

Settlement agreed

"All of this has taken a huge toll on us both, on our relationship, our respective families, and our personal health.

"We have only ever sought to achieve one thing, to do our very best for our son."

Matthew's lawyers argued his birth was negligently delayed at the hospital, with oxygen starvation the result.

After he was discharged five days after his birth, his condition worsened and he was taken back to the hospital where he suffered a seizure, leading to brain damage and cortical blindness, lawyers said.

Approving the settlement of the case in the High Court, Mr Justice Owen told the couple: "I hope you will look forward to a family life again, secure in the knowledge that you have done all that could possibly have been done for Matthew."

Defence counsel, Michael de Navarro QC, said the NHS Trust was delighted that settlement terms had been agreed.

He said: "We acknowledge the devoted care given to Matthew by his parents and hope their lives will now be easier than they might otherwise have been."