07.10.2015

Irwin Mitchell Team Up With National Charity To Raise Awareness

The parents of a young boy from Weston-Super-Mare who developed cerebral palsy following complications during his birth are supporting World CP Day, which takes place this year on 7^th October, to raise awareness of the condition.

Ollie, who is now 3 years old, was not expected to live any longer than two hours because midwives at St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol failed to monitor Charmaine to realise she was in established labour, nor did they check Ollie’s heart rate to realise that this was dropping dangerously low showing he was in distress and his brain was being starved of oxygen.

He surpassed initial expectations but is now registered blind, suffers epilepsy and severe cerebral palsy, meaning he needs 24-hour care as he barely sleeps and requires pump feeding for 20 hours per day. Neil has had to give up his job as a recruitment consultant and Charmaine lost her business as a self-employed hairdresser so they could provide Ollie’s care.

The couple instructed medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell who commissioned medical evidence to show that Ollie should have been delivered earlier and that this would have avoided his injuries. An early admission of liability from the hospital Trust was secured in addition to an interim payment of damages to fund his vital care and rehabilitation package for him.

Charmaine said: “There are a number of challenges you face as a parent of a disabled child and it can be extremely hard to cope with these issues.

“Ollie is a remarkable little boy and we are incredibly proud of him. We hope that by supporting World Cerebral Palsy Day we can raise awareness of the condition and the situations we, and others in similar circumstances, deal with on a daily basis.”

Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood and is also one of the least understood. Irwin Mitchell has partnered with CP charity Brainwave to create an online resource to raise awareness of the challenges of living with cerebral palsy.

Visit http://www.irwinmitchell.com/living-with-cerebral-palsy for more information.

If medical errors during birth caused your child’s cerebral palsy, our expert solicitors could help you claim compensation. Visit out Cerebral Palsy Claims page for more information or call or free on 0808 163 4557