David Knifton KC and Chris Gutteridge secure £800,000 interim payment to fund home for brain-injured woman

October 14, 2025

David Knifton KC and Chris Gutteridge, instructed by the specialist brain injury team at Fletchers Solicitors, have obtained a further net interim payment of £800,000 to enable a young woman with a severe brain injury following medical negligence to purchase a home.

Iain Dodd, Nina Taylor and Robyn Wild at Fletchers have now secured interim payments exceeding £1million for their severely injured client, who sadly suffered a brain injury as a result of the Defendant’s admitted failures. The Claimant’s identity is protected by an anonymity order.

The Defendant hospital Trust admitted failures in their care of the Claimant following surgery in 2018, causing a life-changing brain injury. She now requires 24/7 care and has extensive needs for treatment and equipment. Regrettably, having found a suitable bungalow last year, which would have enabled a comprehensive care package and rehabilitation regime to be implemented, the family lost the opportunity to purchase it due to a lack of funds.

Meticulous planning and execution has ensured the successful interim payment application. The Defendant was given the opportunity to provide the funds and initially declined to do so. Court proceedings were commenced in the High Court and an application was made for the interim payment, supported by strong evidence and a focused skeleton argument from Leading Counsel. A few days before the court hearing was due to take place, the Defendant agreed to make the interim payment.

David Knifton KC of Exchange chambers explained: “Yet again, an NHS Trust which has admitted liability for a catastrophic injury failed for many months to respond to reasonable requests to provide sufficient funds to enable the Claimant to purchase a suitable home. This young woman has been left profoundly disabled, effectively blind, and in need of round-the-clock supervision and assistance, yet nearly 6 years after she was discharged from hospital, and almost 2 years after liability was admitted, her parents and family are continuing to care for her within their own home, because there is insufficient space to accommodate paid carers. As a consequence, the Claimant’s quality of life is substantially reduced. Had the Trust responded promptly to our request for a substantial interim payment, not only could a suitable bungalow have been purchased by now, improving the Claimant’s wellbeing and ongoing rehabilitation, but substantial costs could have been saved. Instead, the Trust chose to wait until the 11th hour before agreeing to pay, preventing effective rehabilitation and resulting in a significant waste of public funds. This case illustrates the importance of carefully planning for the making of an interim payment application at an early stage of the proceedings. Faced with an application to which there was no answer, the Trust conceded defeat just days before the court hearing.”

Iain Dodd, Partner and Head of the Brain Injury Unit at Fletchers Solicitors said “This is an important milestone for supporting our client to help them move on with their life after such a catastrophic injury. Their current home is unsuitable and we are pleased that a search for their “forever” home can now begin because funds have been secured.”