[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...herts-22553341

A mother says she is "devastated" at having to sell her home to pay back compensation she was given to care for her disabled son, who has since died.

Deborah Mackay, 33, was awarded £705,000 after doctors failed to spot her unborn son Calum had spina bifida.

The NHS Litigation Authority now wants £375,000 returned as the money was to care for Calum until he was 10. He died at the age of six.

It said it had a "responsibility to manage the public purse".

Ms Mackay, who lives in Clapham, near Bedford, said she was "devastated but had learned to accept" the decision to recall the money but feared she would be left without a home.

"Because the house isn't selling I could end up homeless," she said.

'Beautiful memories'

Ms Mackay spent £450,000 on the property and fitted it with items to help care for her son.

She said Calum, who was born in 2005 and died of organ failure two years ago, "loved" the house.

"He was amazing, an inspiration, so strong and full of life," she said.

"I've got so many beautiful memories here with him.

"I understand why I have to give the money back - it's just that I could have no home to go to."

The NHS Litigation Authority, which is handling the case for Bedford Hospital NHS Trust, said it appreciated it was a "very difficult time" for Ms Mackay.

A spokesperson said: "There are no plans currently to force a sale of this property, which is owned by trustees, one of whom is Ms Mackay.

"We are working to agree a reasonable period of time for her to make appropriate arrangements to return the money."

Why don't the NHS sack a couple of useless managers and get the money that way instead .....

[arista]

Yes a mess

[Z]

That poor woman

[Cherie]

Seens a bit mean, hasn't she suffered enough.

[Shaun]

wow... that's a new low.

[Marsh.]

Enough money to care for ten years? Why didn't they just pay her year by year?

Their fault, they should just leave her alone.

[Nedusa]

I don't understand this surely the money spent to refit the house is spent so cannot be reimbursed and the money to pay for his living would be paid to her annually, so what is she being asked to give back ?

If they paid her 4 or 5 years worth of living allowances then they may have an argument in asking for some of this money back. Either way all very sad given the little boy has died...!!!

[Jake.]

Originally Posted by 08marsh

Enough money to care for ten years? Why didn't they just pay her year by year?

Their fault, they should just leave her alone.

Exactly this. Bloody awful.

[Glenn.]

It's the doctors faults for not finding what eventually killed the lad in the first place.

[Suze]

If it was compensation, then surely even though her little boy died earlier than was expected they shouldn't harass her for compensation money. Can't she contest it rather than have to pay it back? Hasn't she been through enough already.

[Vicky.]

Thats absolutely ****ing disgusting tbh

[Vanessa]

They should leave her alone.

[Patrick]

The NHS are ****ing scum.

[Mrluvaluva]

Absolutely appalling. I wonder if they would have compensated her more if he'd had lived past the age of ten? Hmmm...

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by 08marsh

Enough money to care for ten years? Why didn't they just pay her year by year?

Their fault, they should just leave her alone.

Originally Posted by Mrluvaluva

Absolutely appalling. I wonder if they would have compensated her more if he'd had lived past the age of ten? Hmmm...

Two very good points, maybe the NHS should learn from their own mistakes in this.

Originally Posted by Patrick

The NHS are ****ing scum.

You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. The NHS is full of good people doing their best on a daily basis to help people.

[the truth]

there is plenty of scum in the nhs trusts and double talking managers , there are sadly thousands of dreadful nurses too.......all of these people ruin the sevice to sick people and also make it way harder for the majority of good people working in hospitals

[Kizzy]

How are they allowed to get away with this? It is heartbreaking, I can't imaging how I would cope with this.

[Tom4784]

Hospital Trusts/the Admin side of things are vampires, I'm not surprised that one of them would try to do this.

[Niamh.]

wow I really hope they don't get away with that, was it stipulated when the money was awarded that she'd have to return some of the money if the child died? That's a bit ****ed up