Teenage girl awarded record £24million payout after doctors injected her brain with glue

A teenage girl has been awarded a record £24million payout after medics at Great Ormond Street hospital accidentally injected her brain with glue.

Maisha Najeeb will need round-the-clock care for the rest of her life
 
Maisha Najeeb was ten when she was admitted to the children’s clinic in London for treatment for a rare condition that meant her arteries and veins were tangled.

However, medics mixed up the syringes being used to inject a harmless dye to monitor blood flow around the brain with a glue aimed at blocking bleeds from her blood vessels, leaving the girl from Ilford, Essex, with permanent and ‘utterly devastating’ brain damage.


Speaking outside the High Court, the now 13-year-old’s father, Sadir Hussain, said: ‘Her life is ruined. All her dreams have been broken.

‘I hope that by bringing this case, lessons will have been learned to avoid this happening to other families.

‘We are grateful that agreement has been reached with Great Ormond Street to ensure that Maisha’s care needs are met.’
Maisha will receive a lump sum of £2.8million, on top of £383,000 a year until she turns 19, rising to £423,000 for the rest of her life.

Great Ormond Street said it hoped a ‘great burden’ had been lifted from the family 

 

Experts estimate she could live until 64 but will need round-the-clock care for the duration.
Her solicitor, Edwina Rawson, said Great Ormond Street could have avoided the tragic mix-up in June 2010 if the syringes for the embolisation treatment had been properly labelled.

‘What is so heartbreaking about this case is that the injury was so avoidable,’ she told the court. ’If the syringes had been marked-up so the hospital could see which contained glue and which contained dye, then Maisha would not have suffered what is an utterly devastating brain injury.’

Neil Block QC, representing Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Trust, added: ‘We can’t wind the clock back. We hope there are now systems and procedures in place to ensure such a tragic mistake cannot be made again.

‘While money can’t restore what Maisha has lost, we are sure a great burden has been lifted from the family by coming to the settlement we have.’
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust acknowledged ‘shortcomings’ in Maisha’s care, the ‘consequences of which have been tragic and devastating for Maisha and her family’.

‘The trust would also like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to Maisha’s parents and her wider family who have provided and are continuing to provide unstinting, dedicated and devoted care. Maisha’s family have engaged open-heartedly with the trust, which has allowed staff to really learn from what happened to Maisha, so that improvements can be made for the future,’ a statement added.