A grandmother has been awarded compensation for suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after witnessing the botched birth of her granddaughter.

The sight of a seemingly stillborn child was "sufficiently horrifying" to convince a High Court judge to award damages, according to The Telegraph, and the case could open the floodgates to thousands of similar claims – potentially costing NHS hospitals millions of pounds.

Until now, hospitals have reportedly been able to argue that visiting relatives undergoing medical procedures is inherently traumatic, and that making pay-outs to family members would set a costly precedent.

Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves Show all 6 1 /6 Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves The elderly “We acknowledge that there are pressures on the health service, there are always extra pressures on the NHS in the winter, but we have the added pressures of the ageing population and the growing complex needs of the population,” Theresa May has said. Waits of over 12 hours in A&E among elderly people have more than doubled in two years, according to figures from NHS Digital. Getty Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves Patients going to A&E instead of seeing their GPs Jeremy Hunt has called for a “honest discussion with the public about the purpose of A&E departments”, saying that around a third of A&E patients were in hospital unnecessarily. Mr Hunt told Radio 4’s Today programme the NHS now had more doctors, nurses and funding than ever, but explained what he called “very serious problems at some hospitals” by suggesting pressures were increasing in part because people are going to A&Es when they should not. He urged patients to visit their GP for non-emergency illnesses, outlined plans to release time for family doctors to support urgent care work, and said the NHS will soon be able to deliver seven-day access to a GP from 8am to 8pm. But doctors struggling amid a GP recruitment crisis said Mr Hunt’s plans were unrealistic and demanded the Government commit to investing in all areas of the overstretched health service. Getty Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves Simon Stevens, head of NHS England Reports that “key members” of Ms May’s team used internal meetings to accuse Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, of being unenthusiastic and unresponsive have been rejected by Downing Street. Mr Stevens had allegedly rejected claims made by Ms May that the NHS had been given more funding than required. Getty Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves Previous health policy, not funding In an interview with Sky News’s Sophy Ridge, Ms May acknowledged the NHS faced pressures but said it was a problem that had been “ducked by government over the years”. She refuted the claim that hospitals were tackling a “humanitarian crisis” and said health funding was at record levels. “We asked the NHS a while back to set out what it needed over the next five years in terms of its plan for the future and the funding that it would need,” said the Prime Minister. “They did that, we gave them that funding, in fact we gave them more funding than they required… Funding is now at record levels for the NHS, more money has been going in.” But doctors accused Ms May of being “in denial” about how the lack of additional funding provided for health and social care were behind a spiralling crisis in NHS hospitals. Getty Images Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves Target to treat all A&E patients within four hours Mr Hunt was accused of watering down the flagship target to treat all A&E patients within four hours. The Health Secretary told MPs the promise – introduced by Tony Blair’s government in 2000 – should only be for “those who actually need it”. Amid jeers in the Commons, Mr Hunt said only four other countries pledged to treat all patients within a similar timeframe and all had “less stringent” rules. But Ms May has now said the Government will stand by the four-hour target for A&E, which says 95 per cent of patients must be dealt with within that time frame. Getty Images Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves No one Mr Hunt was accused of “hiding” from the public eye following news of the Red Cross’s comments and didn’t make an official statement for two days. He was also filmed refusing to answer questions from journalists who pursued him down the street yesterday to ask whether he planned to scrap the four-hour A&E waiting time target. Sky News reporter Beth Rigby pressed the Health Secretary on his position on the matter, saying “the public will want to know, Mr Hunt”. “Sorry Beth, I’ve answered questions about this already,” replied Mr Hunt. “But you didn’t answer questions on this. You said it was over-interpreted in the House of Commons and you didn’t want to water it down. Is that what you’re saying?” said Ms Rigby. “It’s very difficult, because how are we going to explain to the public what your intention is, when you change your position and then won’t answer the question, Mr Hunt”. But the Health Secretary maintained his silence until he reached his car and got in. Getty

The unnamed infant, who was reportedly born "flat and purple with a swollen head", appeared to be dead for 12 minutes and was left with permanent neurological damage.

The girl was at the upper end of the weight spectrum for newborns, clocking in at 4.5kg (10lbs), and the High Court found that medical staff at the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust handled the challenge inadequately from antenatal care onwards.

"Offhand" midwives told the worried mum-to-be that "big babies just slip out", but once in the birthing room the girl's shoulder became lodged behind her mother's pelvic bone.

This led to an 11-minute delay in delivery, during which time the blood flow to the infant's brain became obstructed, and the baby girl will now have to live with reduced mental and physical capabilities for the rest of her life.

John McDonnell says the NHS crisis is now and requires emergency funding

The midwives also stopped a specialist obstetrician from accessing the mother and child at the critical phase of the operation, The Telegraph reports, while the hospital subsequently destroyed records in an attempt to cover up its malpractice.

In such circumstances, the mother and child would normally expect to win compensation, but the decision to grant damages to the accompanying grandmother is an unusual one, which could set the precedent for many other claims.

Cases brought by the friends and family of victims of clinical negligence could add millions more to the bills of already under-funded NHS hospitals.

A recent study found "relentless" Tory cuts have been responsible for 30,000 deaths in the space of a year, while 2015 saw the greatest rise in mortality for half a century, in what the report's authors called "a major failure of the health system... resulting from the imposition of austerity."