10:30am Monday 29th March 2010
By Siobhan Ryan, Health Reporter
A little girl has been awarded up to £7 million compensation after a medical blunder at birth.
Ella Bryant-Brand was starved of oxygen and suffered brain damage when her umbilical cord became wrapped around her neck and was not removed quickly enough.
Her mother Kim Bryant has spent seven years fighting the NHS for compensation since her daughter's birth at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
The award from the NHS Litigation Authority of between £5 million and £7 million is one of the biggest NHS compensation pay-outs ever made.
Ella has been left with cerebral palsy and has limited movement in her limbs.
She cannot walk on her own and can only say a few words.
Ms Bryant, 38, who lives near Billingshurst, intends to use the multi-million pound payout to buy the equipment and help needed to give her seven-year-old daughter the round-the-clock care she needs for the rest of her life.
Ella's case was dealt with by lawyer Colum Smith, from McMillan Williams, which has recently opened a branch in Brighton.
He said: “We are very pleased with the result of this particular case.
“This money will ensure Ella receives the care she needs.”
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Royal Sussex, was unable to comment yesterday.
DON'T MISS TODAY'S ARGUS TO SEE WHAT MS BRYANT SAYS ABOUT THE PAY-OUT.
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