Three-year-old Ryan Pitcher, who was being treated for epilepsy, died after being given the wrong medication by Dr Andrew Holton. An initial investigation could not find a link between the actions of the doctor and Ryan’s death. However his parents pursued a lengthy legal battle and after later investigations, University of Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust admitted liability for its medical negligence.

The report also found that Dr Holton misdiagnosed hundreds of other children during a period of ten years at the hospital.

Simon and Diane Pitcher from Heather, near Coalville, Leicestershire, have now received an compensation, the amount of which has not been disclosed. It is believed that around £3m has been paid by the trust to children incorrectly diagnosed by Dr Holton.

“On the basis of expert evidence, the trust accepts that Ryan’s treatment and medication were incorrect,” a hospital spokesperson said.

“The trust is deeply sorry for what has happened and has made an unreserved apology to Ryan’s parents.”

The NHS’s Litigation Authority shows that maternity services are those most targeted for compensation claims. Poor maternity care in London is costing the NHS £27m a year alone, which amounts to a third of the bill for all compensation claims in the capital.

Claims include a five-day-old baby who died after a number of mistakes at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. The fact that the baby was upside-down in the womb went unnoticed and staff continued to use the wrong forceps for the procedure. Although the baby was put on a life-support machine, she died shortly after. Her parents, Katherine and Ben Harman, from Battersea, were awarded £50,000 in compensation, but regret that their daughter “could still be alive” if it weren’t for the errors made by the hospital.

Another payment of £600,000 was made to the widow of Jessica Palmer, 34, who died shortly after giving birth at Kingston Hospital in 2002. The hospital admitted liability for her death after admitting they had failed to notice that she was suffering from blood poisoning.

In the case of higher payouts, for example botched births leaving infants disabled, a more structured payout is awarded, compensating them for the care that they will need to receive through their lives.

Official records show that across the NHS, 3,645 patients died of infections contracted whilst in hospital, mistakes whilst undergoing surgery and other medical errors in 2007/2008. This figure was up 60% from two years previously, but it has been reported that figures could be even higher. However, when it comes to compensation for these mistakes, it seems that claimants may be missing out. Figures show that £143m, nearly a fifth of the overall figure paid out, went to lawyers rather than to the victims’ families. It has been claimed that some “no win – no fee” companies are touting for business in A&E waiting rooms across the country.

The Conservative Health spokesman, Mark Simmonds, stated that “we need a robust and fair way for patients who have received negligent treatment in an NHS hospital to get the treatment they deserve. Instead, we have an inefficient system which incurs vast legal costs for NHS trusts.”

Rees Ross, of Lincoln, is now disabled as a result of the accidental injury, which happened five years ago. According to the family’s solicitors, West Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust have agreed to pay compensation towards the boy’s care after doctors admitted delays in sending him to hospital.

Rees had returned home from school complaining of feeling ill, after he had bumped heads with another boy while participating in a football game. His mother, Lisa Ross, phoned NHS Direct for medical help on three occasions, but each time she was told to give her son painkillers and to let him sleep.

However hours later he suffered a seizure and was rushed to hospital, where doctors found that he had internal bleeding. After surgery, Rees now has difficulty speaking and can only walk short distances without the aid of a wheelchair.

Tim Annett, from Irwin Mitchell solicitors, is in the process of calculating the amount of compensation required to pay for the youngster’s long-term care.

The 42 year old woman is bringing a case against Elyzea Cosmetic Surgery Group after having a face-lift and eye surgery in 2005.

The woman, who requests that she remains anonymous, says that she is left with permanent and visible scarring around her eyes and ears, as well as nerve damage, and is now too embarrassed to be seen in public.

The surgeon behind the botched operation is believed to hold complaints from 24 patients. Even so, the clinic, which also has offices in London and Manchester, denies liability.

A spokeswoman for the clinic said that because the surgery took place in Belgium, it is subject to Belgium legislation, which makes the surgeon himself legally responsible for the personal injury compensation claim.

The woman argues that as she first received consultation from a surgeon in Elyzea’s London clinic that they are responsible, especially as they failed to warn her of the risks and possible nerve damage, which she claims to also now suffer from.

The case is being watched closely as it could pave the way for other patients in similar situations to sue in the UK rather than clinics abroad. UK personal injury compensation payouts are often larger.

The drug was formerly produced by Grunenthal, a German company. A ban has been in place for 26 years, forbidding thalidomide victims from foreign countries to claim compensation. This new announcement from the German family ministry says that victims will have until the end of 2010 to collect damages.

Since 1983, the German government has rejected over 100 thalidomide compensation claims for being “out of time,” as the drug hasn’t been produced since the 1960’s, when it was found to be the cause of birth defects. A recent campaign by thalidomide victims has convinced German authorities to temporarily accept new compensation claims.

The drug was originally made to combat morning sickness but some women who used the drug gave birth to children with underdeveloped limbs, whilst some lacked limbs altogether.