A man left with brain damage after contracting meningitis following an operation is set to receive a "multi-million pound" payout.
The man, now in his 30s, had surgery at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) to remove a brain lesion in 2012.
However his head wound leaked cerebrospinal fluid and the man - who can't be named - suffered an infection which led to meningitis and severe brain damage.
His compensation bid went before London's High Court - but NHS bosses have agreed out-of-court to pay the vast majority of his claim.
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Royal Victoria Infirmary, said it "sincerely regrets the shortcomings in care" it provided.
The consequences of what happened were 'quick and devastating', Judge Marc Dight told the court on Monday.
The man's lawyers sued Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, for damages.
Outside of court, they revealed that will likely end in a "multi million pound" payout after the trust agreed to pay the man 77.5 per cent of the full value of his claim.
Earlier, the man's barrister, Nigel Poole QC, said that the trust admitted breach of duty in relation to him being sent home from hospital at one stage.
But there was a dispute over what impact any delay in treatment had on the tragic outcome.
There was no complaint about the original operation, the leak from the wound or the infection, added the QC.
But the man's case was that treatment should have started 36 hours earlier and would have led to a better recovery.
"Our case is that, with monitoring and investigation, he would have remained an inpatient and intravenous antibiotics started," added Mr Poole.
But the NHS trust argued that earlier treatment would have made little or no difference to his injuries.
Clodagh Bradley QC, for the trust, expressed 'sincere regret on behalf of the Trust for the shortcomings in the care' he received.
Approving the liability settlement, Judge Dight said it was in the 'best interests' of the man.
The amount of his payout will be decided later, but Mr Poole said that, even after the percentage reduction, it is 'plainly a very large claim'.
A Newcastle Hospitals spokesperson said: “The Trust sincerely regrets the shortcomings in care.
"Whilst we acknowledge that no amount of money can compensate adequately for the damage suffered, we hope that, until we meet an appropriate financial settlement, the interim payment of damages will assist in improving the Claimant’s quality of life, providing for his needs”.
