THE family of Stourbridge youngster Alfie Johnson have spoken of their relief at receiving a seven-figure payout - eight years after complications at birth left him with severe brain damage.

Alfie, aged eight, will have the specialist care he needs for the rest of his life thanks to the compensation settlement which marks the end of a long legal battle.

The payout, approved by London's High Court, will cover the cost of the specialist accommodation, equipment, care and therapy he requires to cope with his extensive disabilities which resulted from being starved of oxygen when he was born at Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley.

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Brain injury specialists at law firm JMW helped the family secure the settlement after they took on their fight for justice against the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust which runs Russells Hall.

The hospital trust admitted in 2011 there had been failings by midwives to monitor Alfie and his mother Vickie during labour which meant signs he was in distress were missed - and Dudley Group bosses apologised to the youngster and his family.

But it has taken a further five years of assessments and negotiations to reach a conclusion on a compensation package that will give him life-long security.

Alfie’s dad Paul Johnson said: “It’s a relief to get to this point and it means Alfie’s needs will be met for the rest of his life.

“We are grateful that JMW obtained an admission of negligence from the trust and we were able to agree a settlement out of court but in a sense it is a bittersweet end to the case because all this was avoidable. "Alfie was a healthy baby before Vickie went into hospital and that’s something I think about a lot.

"He was our first child and it was such a traumatic introduction to becoming a parent."

The Dudley Group said it was pleased a compensation agreement had finally been approved by the court and trust chief executive Paula Clark said: "The circumstances surrounding Alfie’s birth on 11 November 2007 have been investigated extensively and a full admission of liability was made in August 2011.

"We have previously provided a full apology to Alfie’s family following the admission but would like to take the opportunity to reiterate that we are truly sorry for the injury Alfie suffered at birth and we are pleased a settlement has been reached which we hope will go some way to meeting Alfie’s future needs."

Olivia Scates, partner in the medical negligence team at JMW, said: “We are delighted to have secured this settlement for Alfie and that he and his family will get the help they need to cope with his profound disabilities for the rest of his life."

Despite the family's devastation over Alfie's traumatic birth and the disabilities he's been left with - the Johnsons have managed to turn their heartbreak into hope and a charity set up to help buy equipment for Alfie is now helping other families battling for better lives for their disabled children.

The Friends of Alfie Johnson, set up by Paul, his sister, brother, brother-in-law and loyal friends, holds a variety of fundraising events each year and has raised more than £100,000 and helped many children with disabilities like Alfie.

The plucky youngster himself, despite requiring constant care and medical intervention "is a remarkable little boy" - said Paul who gave up his job as a press photographer to care for Alfie, who now has a three-year-old brother Finlay and eight-month-old sister Megan.

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Paul, aged 43, said it's been a "very long, stressful battle" for the family but he now wants to give hope to other parents experiencing similar struggles and he said: "Bringing a case against a hospital is not an easy journey but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

"We are so grateful to have had specialist advice from JMW because it was through them that we uncovered just how many mistakes had been made.”

To find out more about Alfie's charity visit www.friendsofalfiejohnson.org.uk