€14.5m settlement for man over incorrect heel prick test

A now 20-year-old man has been awarded €14.5 million in settlement of his High Court action, after a heel pin prick test carried on him as a baby was incorrectly reported as normal.

The man has irreversible brain damage and requires 24-hour care.

The court was told that if the test, under the national newborn screening programme, had been correctly reported, the appropriate treatment would have been a special diet for life.

However, if the condition is not picked up early, it causes irreversible cognitive impairment.

The baby's mother had been to the doctor 38 times in the first two years of his life, as she was concerned he was missing his milestones. But by the time the correct diagnosis of a metabolic disorder was made, it was too late.

The man and his condition cannot be identified by order of the court.

His family sued Children's Health Ireland, Temple Street which was responsible for the testing of the boy’s blood sample under the national newborn Blood Spot Screening Programme, as well as the HSE.

In an apology read in court, the interim chief executive of CHI, Fiona Murphy expressed sincere apologies for the failings that caused the injuries to the boy. The letter said the hospital and its staff regretted the tragic consequences for the boy and his family and did not underestimate the impact this had had on his life.

Outside court, solicitor, Melanie Power said it had been a ten-year legal battle but the man could now avail of supports which had been out of his reach until now.

She said the boy’s condition caused toxins to build up in his body from the food and drink he was consuming and the injury he suffered got worse as the condition remained undiagnosed.

Ms Power said the family had become homeless during their legal battle and had to rely on the charity of other family members. She said his mother’s pleas for a house from the local authority went unanswered and they were ignored by the State.

Mr Justice Paul Coffey described it as a tragic and heartbreaking case and praised the man’s family for the commitment and love they had lavished on him.

He said if such a simple test had been performed correctly the boy and his family "would have been spared all this".