Queen's Hospital faces legal action over baby's disability

The mother of a brain-damaged baby has accused a hospital of causing her son's disability due to a clinical failure.

Emma Morgan's son Brandon, born at Queen's Hospital in Romford, was left severely disabled after his brain was starved of oxygen at birth.

Maternity services at the hospital had previously been under scrutiny by the health regulator - but earlier this year it said standards were being met.

The hospital insists it followed medical protocol.

Emma Morgan said Queen's Hospital knew she was a high risk mum, in danger of having a placenta abruption.

But despite that they sent her home after she came in complaining of abdominal pains, she said.

Within hours Brandon had become separated from his mother's placenta - starving his brain of oxygen.

An emergency caesarean section saved his life - but by then the prospects of a normal one had been ruined.

Emma Morgan is now taking legal action. She said: "He's been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, he had seizures at birth, he's got a cluster of cysts at the back of his brain.

"I think the pains were the start of the placenta abrupting and if they had done a scan and he was born at that time when I first went in he wouldn't probably have all these problems."

It is not the first time allegations of clinical failure have been made against Queen's Hospital's maternity unit.

In 2011 BBC London revealed medical negligence that led to the death of Serena Ali and her unborn daughter.

By that July the hospital was under emergency measures and the trust employed an additional 60 midwives.

A year on, and a report by the regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), said care was improving.

It was in the same month Brandon was born severely brain damaged.

And it has now emerged five other mothers are considering suing the hospital for negligence over its clinical decision-making.

The hospital described its recent CQC report as "glowing", claiming it provides "high quality care".

It released a statement which said: "We held a post-birth review which confirmed that the care and treatment met all accepted medical practices."