A schoolgirl who was left with catastrophic brain injuries as a result of blunders made during her birth has received a landmark £19 million payout after suing the NHS.
Megan Ryall, now 11, was left with cerebral palsy after her mum Sarah, 39, gave birth to her at Horton General Hospital, in Banbury, in 2010.
Sarah arrived at hospital in labour 13 days after her due date but despite telling staff she believed her baby was moving less, she was sent home by bungling medics.
Megan now has significant learning and communication difficulties and will need round-the-clock care for the rest of her life after her mum's pleas were ignored.
Oxford University Hospitals Trust has now agreed if Megan had been delivered earlier she would not have been left with serious health needs.
The youngster has now been awarded a multi-million pound compensation payout as result of the serious failings in maternity care following an 11 year legal battle.
Mum Sarah, of Northampton, is now urging other women to trust their own instincts to voice any worries they have during their pregnancies.
She said: "Megan was let down by the maternity care system. I voiced my concerns during my final days of pregnancy and was not listened to.
"I believe there were many faults with the care provided to Megan and me in the period leading up to Megan's delivery, including inadequate monitoring and delays for a doctor review.
"This was compounded by the refusal after Megan's birth to admit the mistakes that had been made, and there was a lack of support from the Trust afterwards.
"I now want other expectant mothers to trust their own instincts and to feel empowered to voice any concerns they may have about their pregnancy, in the hope that no other child has to go through the same trauma as Megan.
"I hope anyone reading or hearing about this has the confidence to speak out about any worries they have with the care being provided to them, and to pursue these with the midwives or maternity wards.
"There needs to be an increase in training and supervision for midwives in dealing with parental concerns, as mine were not taken seriously, along with those of many other expectant mothers.
"When problems have occurred, communication between the medical staff and families, needs to be clear but sensitive.
"It should be recognised that when a child is born with significant health problems or disabilities, parents will need emotional and psychological, as well as practical support.
"In addition, there needs to be much more support put in place for those families with children that have Cerebral Palsy, whether they have a claim against the NHS or not.
"The therapies and facilities that are available through the NHS, Social Services and the Local Education Authority are inadequate for children with complex disabilities and needs like Megan.
"Under the present system, families have to fight really hard and repeatedly for every little bit of help, causing additional anxiety and stress.
"This has been a long process with many difficulties, which has caused so much stress for the family."
The money will now fund Megan's ongoing care, equipment, therapies, and accommodation for the rest of her life.
Sarah said she was forced to give up her job as a scientist to care for Megan, which has also affected her mental health.
Megan's father has also had to take on a less demanding and lower paid job so that he can be on-hand to help care for Megan when needed.
Sarah added: "Now the case is closed, Megan will have a lifetime home that is safe and adapted to her needs and she will have 24-hour specialist care and support throughout her life.
"It will also enable her to enjoy, the often-overlooked, simple pleasures of life: a special needs tricycle for her to explore the great outdoors and access to symbol software that helps her to read and communicate.
"We are relieved that Megan will now have the care that she needs and deserves."
Kym Provan, partner at Enable Law, who represented the family, said: "This is a very substantial win for the family.
"Cerebral palsy affects every child differently and in Megan's case her injuries were even more complex because she also sustained damage to her hearing and hip at around the time of her birth.
"However, we worked with Megan's family to secure an outcome that will benefit Megan for the rest of her life and hopefully make that life a little bit more comfortable.
"Megan's cognitive and neurological functions mean she will need permanent care and support and will not be able to live independently, so we had to make sure the settlement and support reflected this.
"We worked with the hospital trust and their legal representatives to make sure that as soon as fault was admitted, Megan's family were given enough money to enable them to bring in the external support that she needed.
"Megan's parents have been incredible throughout the process."
Oxford University Hospitals Trust apologised for the standard of care which "was not in accordance with the high standards that the trust and our staff aim to deliver".
Prof Meghana Pandit, chief medical officer, added: "We recognise that the injuries have been very distressing and significant for this patient and her family, and that their pursuit of this claim would have been an extremely difficult time for them.
"While the settlement of this case can never truly compensate for what has happened, I very much hope that the settlement that has been reached will support this patient's present, and future care and support needs."
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