Third birthday for baby Charlotte

by Anna Lindsay
BBC News, Portsmouth

Charlotte has her own room in hospital, where she lives

When she was born she was given just a 5% chance of survival.

Now Charlotte Wyatt - the profoundly disabled child who has been in hospital in Portsmouth since birth - has turned three.

She has been ready to go home for several months now, but her parents - Darren and Debbie Wyatt - split up earlier this year, and Charlotte no longer has a stable home to go to.

Charlotte was born three months prematurely with serious brain, lung and kidney damage.

She has lived beyond all expectations but as Charlotte celebrated her birthday on Saturday, there were still no plans for her to leave St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth - where she has lived all her life.

Her parents fought a long legal battle in the High Court to force doctors to resuscitate Charlotte if her condition deteriorated.

The couple split up in January blaming the pressure of the case - just one month before doctors announced Charlotte was well enough to go home.

Medical costs

Charlotte, who was born three months early, is severely brain-damaged, almost blind and deaf, and unable to walk or crawl. Neither parent is able to cope by themselves with her round-the-clock care.

In fact, Debbie Wyatt has only visited Charlotte three times since February. Darren Wyatt is also an infrequent visitor.

And so Charlotte remains in hospital. New figures, obtained by BBC South, reveal the cost to the NHS of looking after Charlotte since she was ready to go home in February has almost reached £50,000.

That is £6,000 a month.

Charlotte's future living arrangements are still unresolved.

Her case is also likely to go back to the High Court.

When Charlotte caught a virus last winter, a further order was issued allowing doctors not to resuscitate her. This still stands.

A special birthday party was held at the hospital on Saturday and her parents had planned to attend. Meanwhile Charlotte remains unaware of her uncertain future.