Hospital's £5m for birth error

Compensation of £5.48million has been awarded to a West Bromwich teenager who was left disabled at birth due to hospital errors.Daniel Kay, aged 16, has quadriplegic cerebral palsy after he was deprived of oxygen at Sandwell Hospital when he was just one day old, on July 24, 1991.

Today's settlement was approved in the High Court, Birmingham following an admission of liability by Birmingham and the Black Country Strategic Health Authority, now West Midlands Strategic Health Authority.

Daniel is totally dependent upon a wheelchair for mobility and requires 24-hour care. Despite his physical disabilities he is mentally extremely bright and has excelled academically.

Following legal advice the case was fully investigated and independent medical experts confirmed Daniel's condition was not due to natural causes but because of hospital failure.

The £5.48m is made up of a £2m lump sum and £130,000 annual payments that will provide for Daniel's future needs.

Following an earlier full admission of liability by the trust, a £615,000 interim payment has enabled the Kay family to purchase a specially adapted bungalow.