Where a case shows a lump sum plus periodical payments, the yearly payments continue for life and the true value is far higher than the headline.
Claimant succeeded£550,000
[2026] EWHC 1284 (KB)·2026·Liability decided at trial
A patient developed life-threatening pancreatitis after a gallstone-removal ERCP. The judge found the consultant never prescribed or instructed the standard preventive diclofenac suppository, so it was not given, and entered judgment for £550,000 against him.
Failing to give a recognised prophylactic drug before a procedure can be negligent even in private care. The prescribing doctor, not the hospital, carried the liability here.
Claimant succeeded£811,247
[2026] EWHC 657 (KB)·2026·Damages assessed at trial
The trust admitted it negligently failed to diagnose Daisy Lynch's developmental hip dysplasia at birth, so it was not picked up until she was three, by which time simple non-surgical treatment was no longer possible. She went through repeated hip operations and a total hip replacement at 22, and the court assessed her damages after an eight-day trial.
Even where liability is admitted, damages can be heavily contested, and the court can add a provisional damages order letting the claimant return for more if a specified complication later occurs. The award covered pain and suffering, lost earnings, future care and future surgery.
Settlement approved£3.85M
[2024] EWHC 2569 (KB)·2024·Settlement approved by the court
A 23-year-old mother was discharged after giving birth in July 2015, developed breathlessness and palpitations, and suffered a cardiac arrest after being readmitted, leaving her with severe hypoxic brain damage. The claim settled on the day the quantum trial was due to start and the court approved the package for her as a protected party.
Maternal claims are not limited to injuries during labour itself; a failure in care in the weeks after birth that causes brain injury can lead to a multi-million-pound settlement. Where the injured person lacks capacity, a judge must approve any settlement.
Settlement approved£5.75M
[2024] EWHC 2499 (KB)·2024·Settlement approved by the court
A child born in April 2019 after an induced labour suffered fetal bradycardia and a brain injury; the Trust admitted the clinical failures by letter in April 2021. The court approved a settlement of a £5.75m lump sum plus lifelong index-linked periodical payments, worth about £16.7m in total.
Serious cerebral palsy claims are usually settled as a lump sum plus annual periodical payments for care, so the headline total depends on how long the child lives. Before approving a deal for a child the judge checks it sits within the range a court would have awarded.
Claimant succeeded£195,888
[2024] EWHC 1688 (KB)·2024·Liability and damages decided at trial
The patient had a hysterectomy, pelvic floor repair and incontinence tape fitted by one consultant, then mesh removal and a colposuspension by a second consultant. The court cleared the first surgeon but found the second performed the colposuspension without clinical justification, leaving the patient with severe bladder symptoms.
Performing an operation that is not clinically justified is a breach of duty even if it is technically done well. Damages are limited to the harm caused by the negligent procedure, not the patient's pre-existing symptoms.
Claimant succeeded£1.2M
[2024] EWHC 1360 (KB)·2024·Liability decided at trial
Mr Healey died nine days after bowel cancer surgery at a private hospital when a leak at the surgical join was not recognised in time. The hospital settled the widow's claim for £1.2 million and the court ordered the surgeon to bear 75% of it, finding his failure to diagnose the leak the principal cause of death.
Post-operative deterioration after bowel surgery must prompt urgent consideration of a leak. Both the private hospital and the individual surgeon can be liable, with the court apportioning responsibility between them.
Settlement approved£5.56M
[2024] EWHC 25 (KB)·2024·Settlement approved by the court
The baby's shoulders became stuck during delivery and manoeuvres failed, so she was deprived of oxygen and left with cerebral palsy; the Trust admitted in 2012 that it failed to deliver her with sufficient or safe speed. The court approved a settlement of about £5.56m plus lifelong periodical payments.
Shoulder dystocia claims are not only about arm injuries; a prolonged delay in freeing the baby can cause brain injury, and damages then reflect lifelong care needs. Approval judgments like this are one of the few public sources showing what such settlements are worth.
Claimant succeeded£1.3M
[2023] EWHC 3115 (KB)·2023·Liability decided at trial
Before bowel cancer surgery, anaesthetists made three failed epidural attempts while the patient was awake and then seven more after putting her under anaesthetic, one of which pierced her spinal cord. Ritchie J held the anaesthetist should have obtained her informed consent before the unconscious attempts and offered alternatives, and that this failure caused the injury.
Consent is not a one-off: when a procedure changes course (here, moving to unconscious epidural attempts), the patient must be told of the options and risks again. The full agreed £1.3m followed from that single consent failure.
Settlement approved£2.5M
[2023] EWHC 2975 (KB)·2023·Settlement approved by the court
A 37-year-old mother suffered a cardiac arrest because intravenous fluids were not given during spinal anaesthesia just after her daughter's birth, leaving her with a brain injury; the hospital admitted liability. The court used its inherent jurisdiction to approve a settlement worth roughly £5.56m including periodical payments.
Anaesthetic errors around delivery can found a maternal negligence claim even when the baby is unharmed. Courts can approve settlements for adults with cognitive impairment even where they have not formally been found to lack capacity.
Claimant succeeded£340,000
[2023] EWHC 2986 (KB)·2023·Liability decided at trial
The Trust admitted it missed an aortic dissection that emergency surgery would probably have cured, and settled the fatal claim for £340,000. When the widow and children later sued for psychiatric injury from witnessing the death, the Trust tried to strike that out but withdrew after discovering the earlier settlement had never been court-approved.
Fatal claims involving children need court approval of any settlement or it may not bind them. A missed aortic dissection in a chest-pain patient was accepted as negligent and fatal.
Claimant succeeded£6.87M
[2023] EWHC 1770 (KB)·2023·Damages assessed at trial
The CTG showed a pathological trace that went unread for 50 minutes before an emergency caesarean; the child was born with severe quadriplegic cerebral palsy and the Trust admitted liability in 2019. After a nine-day trial on damages, Ritchie J awarded a lump sum of about £6.87m plus care periodical payments of nearly £395,000 a year.
Where liability is admitted but the parties are far apart on the cost of care, housing and equipment, the court will hold a full quantum trial and decide each head of loss. This judgment is a rare published breakdown of a complete cerebral palsy award.
Settlement approved£9.3M
[2023] EWHC 1547 (KB)·2023·Settlement approved by the court
A low-birth-weight baby was not fed adequately overnight and his blood sugar was not checked early enough, causing hypoglycaemic brain damage; the Trust admitted liability in 2018. The court approved a £9.3m lump sum plus periodical payments and held the Trust also owed interest for accepting the offer late.
Negligence in the first days of a newborn's life, not just during labour, can produce some of the largest clinical negligence awards. If a defendant accepts a Part 36 offer late, interest for the delay can be claimed on top.
Settlement approved£6.5M
[2023] EWHC 963 (KB)·2023·Settlement approved by the court
A 19-year-old with severe cerebral palsy from a brain injury at his 2004 birth settled his claim without any admission of liability. The judge approved a package of a £6.5m lump sum plus lifelong periodical payments for care, with a total capitalised value of about £17.2m.
Settlements for people who lack capacity must be approved by the court, and the judge weighs litigation risk against the offer. Combining a lump sum with periodical payments is often preferred because it guarantees care funding for life.
Claimant succeeded£298,617
[2023] EWHC 42 (KB)·2023·Liability and damages decided at trial
An engineer had a then-novel transanal rectal cancer operation without being told of the risks to sexual, urinary and bowel function, and was consented on the day of surgery. The judge found the trust failed to follow NICE guidance, accepted he would have chosen a conventional laparoscopic operation, and awarded £298,616.73.
Consent taken on the day of surgery without explaining material risks or alternatives can found a claim even if the surgery itself was competently done. New or learning-curve procedures need particularly careful counselling.
Claimant succeeded£4.68M
[2022] EWHC 2417 (KB)·2022·Damages assessed at trial
A 20-year-old motorcyclist with leg fractures developed compartment syndrome which the trust admitted it treated too late, so his right leg had to be amputated below the knee. Liability was admitted and the court assessed damages at £4,676,442 covering lifelong prosthetics, care, adapted housing and lost earnings.
Where a hospital admits that quicker treatment of compartment syndrome would have saved a limb, the case becomes about valuing lifelong needs, and prosthetics, accommodation and care can each run to six or seven figures for a young claimant.
Claim failed£1.4M
[2021] UKSC 21·2021·Appeal decision
A GP negligently failed to arrange proper testing, so a woman wrongly believed she did not carry the haemophilia gene and went on to have a son with haemophilia who also had autism. The Supreme Court held the GP was liable only for the haemophilia-related costs, because the purpose of the advice was to guard against that risk, not the unrelated risk of autism.
Damages are limited to losses falling within the scope of the duty the doctor undertook. Even where negligence clearly led to a child's birth, unrelated conditions that the advice was never meant to address are not recoverable.
Claimant succeeded£2.85M
[2020] EWHC 3269 (QB)·2020·Appeal decision
After a 10-hour facial reconstruction the claimant developed compartment syndrome in both legs in intensive care and was left with permanent damage; the trust settled 70 days before trial for a £2.85 million lump sum plus annual payments of £48,000 rising to £85,000. This later judgment dealt only with the lawyers' success fee and dismissed the claimant's appeal on that point.
Compartment syndrome arising from post-operative monitoring failures can attract multi-million-pound settlements with periodical payments for lifelong care, although this figure comes from a costs judgment rather than a damages judgment.
Claimant succeeded£40,000
[2020] EWHC 2914 (QB)·2020·Liability and damages decided at trial
Ms Leach, alone at home with a brain haemorrhage, waited nearly two hours for an ambulance, of which the trust admitted 31 minutes was negligent delay; she went on to develop PTSD. The judge held that the negligent delay made a material contribution to her PTSD, that PTSD cannot be apportioned, and awarded the agreed £40,000.
Where a negligent ambulance delay materially contributes to a psychiatric injury like PTSD, the trust is liable for the whole injury and cannot reduce damages by arguing only part of the wait was its fault.
Claimant succeeded£1.84M
[2019] EWHC 1508 (QB)·2019·Appeal decision
A premature baby was sent home although a blood culture taken in hospital grew Group B strep; staff did not recall her and she developed meningitis with severe brain injury. The claim settled for a lump sum and annual payments; this reported judgment concerns a costs dispute, which the claimant lost.
Failing to act on a positive blood culture after discharge can lead to a multi-million-pound settlement. Note the published judgment is about costs, not the merits.
Claimant succeeded£271,901
[2019] EWHC 980 (QB)·2019·Damages assessed at trial
The baby died in the womb before induction and the mother had to labour for 18 hours to deliver her stillborn daughter; the Trust admitted negligence. Martin Spencer J found she had a genuine, continuing psychiatric illness and awarded £271,901 in total.
After a negligent stillbirth the main claim is usually the mother's psychiatric injury and its financial consequences, such as lost earnings and treatment. Awards can be substantial but the court scrutinises the recovery prognosis closely, and the parties' valuations here were very far apart.
Claimant succeeded£150,000
[2018] EWHC 3461 (QB)·2018·Liability decided at trial
A woman with learning difficulties lost her arm and leg to blood clots in 2012 after several doctors and a hospital failed to spot a blocked artery. Martin Spencer J found only Dr Jackson negligent and causative, and only for the arm, awarding the agreed £150,000.
Where several clinicians see a deteriorating patient, the court examines each contact separately. Compensation was limited to the injury that the negligent consultation could actually have prevented.
Claimant succeeded£75,000
[2018] EWHC 3281 (QB)·2018·Liability decided at trial
Mr Bolton, 77, was brought to A&E by ambulance in respiratory failure and distress; after nebulised treatment he improved and the A&E doctor sent him home with antibiotics, without properly considering the paramedic and triage records. He collapsed at home hours later with an obstructed airway and died; the judge found he should have been admitted and awarded the agreed £75,000.
An A&E doctor must take account of the full picture, including paramedic and triage records, before discharging a patient who arrived in respiratory failure. Improvement after treatment does not make discharge safe if the underlying cause has not been identified.
Claimant succeeded£68,742
[2017] EWHC 863 (QB)·2017·Damages assessed at trial
Swabs taken after childbirth showed chlamydia but neither the patient nor her GP was told, and it went untreated for about a year; she suffered repeated pain and an ectopic pregnancy requiring removal of a fallopian tube. The trust admitted breach; the court accepted the ectopic pregnancy and a period of pain disorder were caused by the negligence but rejected the claim that her later chronic widespread pain was.
Failing to pass on an abnormal test result is a clear breach, but the claimant still has to prove which later problems flowed from it. Long-term pain conditions are hard to attribute to a delayed diagnosis.
Claimant succeeded£16,500
[2017] EWHC 128 (QB)·2017·Liability and damages decided at trial
A biopsy of a non-healing foot wound was reported by a histopathologist as scar tissue when it was in fact melanoma. The judge held the signs of malignancy were plain on the slides and found the Trust liable, but awarded only £16,500 because the cancer had probably already metastasised.
A misread biopsy can be negligent even though pathology involves judgement. Damages depend on what the delay actually changed, which can be modest where the disease had already spread.
Claimant succeeded£92,500
[2016] EWHC 2878 (QB)·2016·Liability decided at trial
A consultant agreed a plan of physiotherapy with surgical review in three months, but the hospital instead listed the patient straight for surgery and warned him he would lose priority if he did not attend. He suffered a rare nerve injury in the operation, and the judge held that but for the hospital's failure to follow the agreed plan he would not have had surgery then.
Hospitals must implement the treatment plan actually agreed with the patient. A non-negligent surgical complication can still be compensated if the operation itself should not have happened at that time.
Settlement approved£50,000
[2016] EWHC 500 (QB)·2016·Settlement approved by the court
The Trust admitted it negligently failed to diagnose the claimant's torn aorta for 20 days, but disputed that this caused his later stroke; the claimant accepted a £50,000 offer just before trial, months after it had expired. This ruling decides who pays the legal costs, applying the normal rules so the claimant pays the defendant's costs for the period after the offer lapsed.
Accepting a settlement offer late can cost a claimant heavily in legal costs even when negligence is admitted. A missed aortic dissection was accepted as negligent, but the disputed stroke was never proved.
Claimant succeeded£39,000
[2016] EWHC 330 (QB)·2016·Liability decided at trial
A woman hurt her wrist playing football and was seen at Ysbyty Gwynedd A&E in April 2009, where the doctor did not properly carry out all three standard clinical tests for a scaphoid fracture. The fracture went undiagnosed and she later needed a bone graft and further surgery; the court found the examination fell below a reasonable standard.
A&E doctors are expected to perform and record all the recognised tests for a scaphoid fracture when a wrist injury is suspected. Skipping part of the examination can amount to negligence even if the X-ray itself is not at fault.
Claimant succeeded£459,758
[2015] EWCA Civ 1244·2015·Appeal decision
During surgery to repair a bladder-vagina fistula caused by an earlier hysterectomy, the surgeon damaged the femoral nerve while dissecting the sigmoid colon. The trial judge awarded £459,758 and the Court of Appeal upheld the finding that the injury was caused by negligent direct injury rather than retractor pressure.
Where a nerve is damaged in an area the surgeon was working on, a court may infer negligence from the mechanism of injury and the expert evidence. Appeal courts rarely overturn a trial judge's factual findings on how an injury occurred.
Claimant succeeded£522,379
[2014] EWHC 286 (QB)·2014·Liability and damages decided at trial
Ms Leigh dislocated her kneecap boarding a bus and was trapped in severe pain for about 50 minutes before an ambulance arrived; the trust admitted 17 minutes of that delay was negligent. The judge found the negligent delay made a material contribution to her PTSD, that her dissociative seizures were part of the PTSD, and assessed damages at £522,379 plus interest.
Even a short negligent ambulance delay can found a substantial claim where it materially contributes to a serious psychiatric injury. Damages can include lost earnings and pension where the injury ends the claimant's career.
Claimant succeeded£7,500
[2013] EWHC 600 (QB)·2013·Liability and damages decided at trial
A woman with months of bloating and bowel symptoms was urgently referred by her GP, but the judge found he never told her and the hospital lost the letter, so nothing happened until she was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer seven months later. The GP was liable for the delay but only £7,500 was awarded because the delay was not shown to have shortened her life.
A GP must tell the patient an urgent referral has been made so it can be chased. Damages for delayed cancer diagnosis are limited to what the delay actually caused, which may be modest.
Claimant succeeded£92,391
[2013] EWCA Civ 117·2013·Appeal decision
Mrs Thomas's bile duct was injured during keyhole gallbladder removal and the surgeon also failed to arrange fluid and kidney monitoring when she was readmitted unwell. The trial judge found both failures negligent and awarded £92,391; the Court of Appeal dismissed the surgeon's appeal.
Bile duct injury during gallbladder surgery is not automatically negligent, but a court can find negligence where the anatomy was recognised and the injury still occurred, and separately for inadequate monitoring afterwards.
Claimant succeeded£119,048
[2012] EWHC 1335 (QB)·2012·Liability and damages decided at trial
Paramedics attended Mrs Taaffe for severe chest pain, found it had subsided, took two ECGs (one flagged by the machine as abnormal) and left her to see her GP the next day; she died of a heart attack five days later. The judge found the paramedics failed to take a proper history or assess her risk factors and should have advised hospital attendance, where her condition would have been found and treated.
Ambulance crews owe a duty to take a proper history and weigh risk factors, not just current symptoms, before deciding not to convey a chest-pain patient. Where hospital assessment would have prevented the death, the ambulance trust is liable.
Claimant succeeded£2,000
[2010] EWHC 1888 (QB)·2010·Liability and damages decided at trial
A doctor at a same-day treatment centre in April 2005 examined a man with a cold, painful foot but her findings were recorded only on an X-ray request form and never passed to the GP, who then failed over several weeks to diagnose limb-threatening ischaemia. The court found negligence but held the leg could not have been saved, awarding only £2,000 for extra pain.
Examination findings must be communicated to the next clinician, not left on a request form. Even proven negligence yields little compensation if the outcome could not have been changed.