The NHS has paid nearly £3.6 billion in damages over 11 years in settlement of negligence claims involving babies who were born with cerebral palsy or other brain injuries.

Figures obtained via a freedom of information request show that, from 2012/13 to 2022/23, compensation was paid in 1,307 cases of cerebral palsy or other forms of brain damage. Barts Health NHS Trust in London settled 36 cases at a cost of £32.6 million – an average of more than £900,000 per claim. Nine other NHS trusts settled at least 20 claims over the period. Settlements in such cases tend to be high, to reflect the costs of the care that people with brain injuries will need over their lifetimes.

Cerebral palsy can sometimes be caused by damage to the brain during or shortly after birth, for example due to lack of oxygen or very low blood sugar levels. Figures indicate that one in 14 cerebral palsy cases nationally could have been avoided.

The NHS also settled 933 claims involving stillbirth, at a cost of £93 million.