Hospital settles over medical negligence claim
A teenager has secured compensation after a hospital that treated him as a child agreed to a payout.
Matthew Ellerbeck, who is now 17, was taken to the accident and emergency department of the Royal London Hospital 11 years ago suffering from herpes simplex encephalitis - a condition which causes a life-long infection.
The condition went undiagnosed and the anti-viral drug acyclovir was not prescribed to Mr Ellerbeck until more than 30 hours later.
As a result of the occurrences, he sustained brain damage and now suffers daily epileptic attacks and has severe learning difficulties.
His mother, Susan Culling, initiated legal proceedings against Barts & the London NHS Trust.
In a new development, the hospital has accepted that the delay in treatment was negligent but argued that most of the damage would have been caused anyway.
A settlement has now been agreed upon two months before the case was due to go to trial.
07/07/2008 16:28
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