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WIPING away the tears: Cara Clare
Mum’s anguish after baby tragedy
Peter Devine23/ 1/2008
AN Edgeley woman has hit out at what she considers a grossly unfair £32,000 compensation settlement she received from Stepping Hill Hospital after medical blunders led to the death of her daughter.
Cara Clare, 23, of Moseley Street, was speaking to the Stockport Express after actress Leslie Ash received £5 million from a London hospital after contracting MRSA.
Cara agreed to the settlement at a time when she claims she "didn’t know what day it was" and followed the death of her daughter Olivia, who died six hours after being born at Stepping Hill Hospital on April 13, 2006.
An inquest last September was told that an "almost complete failure of communication" between two doctors led to prolonged oxygen starvation before and during Cara's 22-hour labour, which caused the infant to suffer brain damage.
John Pollard, the Stockport coroner, told the inquest at the time: "If the delivery had been 30 minutes earlier the outcome would probably have been different." In his summing up Mr Pollard recorded a verdict of natural causes brought on by what he termed as "neglect".
Dr Mohammed Hussein, who was one of the two doctors involved tin the delivery, had had no formal induction and one doctor had admitted altering medical notes after the death of Olivia.
Cara told the Stockport Express: "I can’t believe they would give Leslie Ash £5 million for MRSA and pay me only £32,000. That is absolutely no compensation at all for the way in which it has devastated my life. When I accepted that amount last June I didn’t even know what day it was.
"The death of Olivia forced the breakup of my relationship with my partner Philip and it has left me on the edge. Before she was born I had had five miscarriages and thought this was it.
"She was the most perfect baby and would have made all the difference to our lives and our relationship and we had plans to marry last June.
"However, as a result of Olivia’s death I was blaming Philip and he was blaming me, and it all fell apart. I was somebody who used to work hard but I am now living on state benefits.
"I have been under the care of the crisis team because I am a threat to myself. The whole episode has been an absolute nightmare. If the right amount of compensation had been paid it would not have brought back my baby, but it would have at least helped me to make a fresh start."
Dr Chris Burke for Stockport PCT said: "It is not appropriate for this Trust to comment upon legal settlements agreed between the NHS Litigation Authority and individual claimants. The Trust has previously apologised to Olivia’s parents and we reiterate that apology most sincerely."
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