A Wirral hospital has been ordered to pay compensation which could amount to millions of pounds after their negligence led to a child being born with severe disabilities. Due to the negligence of staff at Arrowe park hospital, seven year old Stephen Loraine of Rockferry was starved of oxygen during the delivery process leaving him with Cerebral Palsy and requiring round the clock care.

Mrs Loraine was sent home after a scan in August 2000, after it was later revealed that doctors failed to spot on her records that she had had complications in the birth of her previous 4 children. If she had been kept in hospital, then a vital 20 minutes could have been shaved off the delivery time, meaning that the disability could have been prevented.

At the High Court recently, Mr. Justice Plender ruled that Wirral university teaching hospital NHS foundation trust was guilty of negligence and ordered to pay compensation to cover Stephen's lifetime care, a sum which is likely to run into millions of pounds. The Trust cannot appeal against his judgement, although it can approach the court of appeal.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Mrs. Loraine commented on the ruling:

"This has been an eight-year struggle, but we always said as long as Stephen keeps breathing, we will keep fighting for him."
"I only hope the hospital respects the judge's verdict and does not drag us through an appeal. Despite everything, Stephen is a happy boy and we are lucky to have him."
Gina Simpson of Wirral compensation claims company, Aegis Law had this to say: "This is a great result for Stephen and his family, his disabilities obviously have serious implications on his family and their financial situation and this will go a long way towards giving him the best quality of life possible."