A woman who suffered a catastrophic brain haemorrhage following medical blunders at Medway hospital has won a £2.75 million damages payout.

The mum was in her 50s and fit and healthy when she began suffering severe headaches in November 1996, London’s High Court heard.

And judge Mr Justice Foskett said she was almost certainly suffering from a sub-arachnoid haemorrhage, an uncommon type of stroke caused by bleeding on the surface of the brain.

She went to A&E at Medway Maritime Hospital twice in the days before Christmas of that year.

But her condition went undiagnosed and, on January 10, 2007, she suffered a devastating second haemorrhage, the judge added.

The woman, now in her 70s, was left physically disabled and with a “very poor short-term memory”.

Robert Kellar, for the family, said that, had her condition been diagnosed promptly, an operation would probably have led to a good recovery.

The court heard the woman’s husband and children cared for her alone until 2012, believing it would cost them too much money to take legal action.

Only then did they contact solicitors and the NHS trust that runs the hospital admitted liability for the woman’s injuries.

The trust has now agreed to pay the woman £2.75 million to cover the costs of the care she will need for the rest of her life.

Approving the settlement, the judge paid tribute to the years of selfless care lavished on the woman by her husband and children.

After the settlement, Katy White, acting director of corporate governance at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is a very sad case from some years ago.

“Our deepest and most heart-felt sympathies are with the patient and their family and we hope that a settlement will provide them with support and comfort into the future.”