Rajatheepan v Barking, Havering And Redbridge NHS Foundation Trust
[2018] EWHC 716 (QB)·2018·Liability decided at trial
A newborn baby was discharged after his mother, who spoke very little English, was given feeding advice she could not understand and without an interpreter, and the family's concerns about his crying were not acted on. He was found pale and lethargic the next day with dangerously low blood sugar that caused permanent brain injury.
Discharge advice only counts if it is given in a way the parent can actually understand, using an interpreter where needed. Concerns raised by a family before discharge should be recorded and looked into rather than brushed aside with reassurance.