Concerns remain for Allyn and Jenny Condon over death of baby Ben Condon
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Enable Law’s Laurence Vick welcomes the apology and full admission of liability now made by the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, making way for a negotiated settlement of Allyn and Jenny Condon’s claim, reflecting their loss following baby Ben Condon’s death in April 2015.
Allyn Condon expressed his relief that the legal claim was now nearing its conclusion, but he and his wife Jenny have a number of unanswered questions and their concerns remain much as they were after Ben died over two years ago. They entered in to this litigation as part of their quest to seek answers regarding Ben’s treatment and why he had so tragically lost his life. They feel frustrated that they have had to face such a protracted battle to extract information and explanations from the Trust. The delay has unnecessarily compounded their grief and raises concerns over the extent to which hospitals are meeting their statutory duty of candour. While the hospital has made some acknowledgements of shortcomings in Ben’s care, until the admission and apology now received, the family feels that the Trust’s responses have all too often fallen short of what is expected from the duty to provide full and frank explanations.
Allyn Condon, a former double-Olympian who has represented GB as a sprinter and bobsleigher in the Summer 2000 and Winter 2010 Olympics has clearly shown great determination and remains committed to his pursuit for the truth and accountability for what happened.
Laurence Vick and colleague Chloe Cooper have acted for the Condons throughout and represented them with Counsel at the Inquest in Bristol in June 2016. The narrative conclusion at the inquest left a “confusing picture”. Ben died after developing a respiratory illness caused by human metapneumovirus (HMPV). The hospital has now admitted that they ”failed to give Ben timely antibiotics” which had “contributed to his death”. The Trust’s Chief Executive Robert Woolley added “We made serious mistakes communicating with (Mr and Mrs Condon) and, as a result, we lost their trust.” He said the hospital had made a number of changes since Ben’s death.
This latest development in the case has been widely reported in the national and regional press and a selection of links appears below:
