A 10-YEAR-OLD boy from Haslemere has been awarded a "multi-million pound" settlement from the Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust after signs of brain damage were not recognised following his birth.

Felix Thompson-Bland, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy, was born prematurely at the Guildford hospital in June 2002.

He was transferred from the Royal Surrey to a London hospital, but medics failed to tell staff about jaundice, leaving him exposed to excessive levels of bilirubin which caused the brain damage.

His mum, Victoria, sued the health trust, claiming his condition was not properly treated. The family appeared at London's High Court on Monday where an undisclosed settlement figure – expected to run well into seven figures – was approved.

It will provide the care Felix will need for the rest of his life as a result, and the lawyer acting for the trust apologised to his parents in open court. Mr Justice Roderick Evans, in making the award, praised the care and devotion of Felix's parents to their son.