Birth tragedies played down Health bosses at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital have been playing down the impact of two huge compensation payouts within days of each other.

Director of public health Sian Griffiths said the two cases of oxygen starvation at birth - which both happened in 1985 - took so long to resolve due to complex legalities.

She added: "A lot of effort goes into trying to prevent tragedies like these. Two cases happened that year but in an ideal world there would be none. I would say to mothers that more than 6,000 babies are delivered a year in Oxford, and these are rare mistakes."

Amy Langer, of Crecy Walk, Woodstock, was yesterday awarded £1.85m after her mum Elaine sued Oxfordshire Health Authority for medical negligence. Amy suffered oxygen starvation during her birth in November 1985, leading to brain damage. She suffers from cerebral palsy and is severely disabled.

The health authority only accepted in 1997 that she would have escaped her injuries had she been delivered earlier.

Just four months earlier, in July 1985, Mark Taylor, of Abingdon, was left profoundly disabled after his birth. Staff were accused of failing to monitor properly Mark's progress in his mother's womb.

Mrs Griffiths said a midwife was disciplined after the first tragedy but would not say if she continued to work for the authority. The second incident involved a junior doctor who was "talked to" by his senior consultant and "lessons were learned". She said procedures and training were updated constantly to minimise risks to patients.

Mrs Griffiths said there were six claims of medical negligence settled by the authority since 1976 in which babies suffered brain damage. A further 19 claims were dropped.

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