Reading parents given damages over meningitis diagnosis
- Published
The baby girl was not treated with antibiotics in time at Royal Berkshire Hospital
A couple will be paid £650,000 by an NHS trust which failed to diagnose their adopted child with meningitis fast enough, a court has ruled.
The delay in diagnosis meant the girl, who was six weeks old, was not treated with antibiotics in time at Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading in 2008.
She suffered brain damage, was left severely disabled and died in 2018, the High Court in London heard.
Her adoptive parents sued the NHS trust after her death.
The court heard the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust admitted liability and agreed to settle the couple's case for a £650,000 lump sum, which included about £4,500 to cover the girl's funeral expenses.
John de Bono QC, the lawyer representing the parents, said they did not know a claim against the trust was possible when they adopted her.
He added: "This is a truly extraordinary case with a tragic end."
Approving the settlement, the judge Mrs Justice Lambert paid tribute to the couple's "dedicated care" for the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.
Bertie Leigh, representing the trust, said: "This is something which simply should not have happened and the trust is desperately sorry that it did."