Maternity and neonatal care: time to learn from past mistakes
The birth of a new baby should be a time of joy. For some families, however, it ends up being a time of great distress. Failures in care during or shortly after childbirth have resulted in the death of dozens of babies and mothers and left other infants with life-changing injuries.
From Leeds to Nottingham, this is a national problem. Over the last few years, inquests, government reviews and media investigations have revealed the shocking extent of the performance lapses in maternity and neonatal services at several NHS Trusts.
For example, the Ockenden Report found that 201 babies and nine mothers could have survived if Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust had provided better care. The review also highlighted 29 cases where babies suffered severe brain injuries and 65 incidents of cerebral palsy.
A single mistake can have a lifelong impact
A national problem needs a national response. Like many families, we have been dismayed by the avoidable harm caused to women and babies. We therefore support the decision by Health Secretary Wes Streeting to launch a rapid inquiry into maternity care in England to ensure “no parent or baby is ever let down again”.
The medical negligence team at Attwaters Solicitors has seen the same mistakes being made across NHS Trusts year after year – and we understand the devastating and lifelong impact of these mistakes. Mothers can suffer incontinence. Infants can suffer development delays and seizures. Entire families can suffer unnecessary distress.
The national inquiry is an opportunity for maternity and neonatal care givers and leaders to learn from past mistakes and prevent future failings by sharing knowledge and taking action. A separate investigation by senior midwife Donna Ockenden is also evaluating more than 2,200 cases of harm to babies and women at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
High cost of compensation claims
Maternity and neonatal mistakes don’t just come with a personal cost; there’s also a financial and reputational cost for an already stretched and beleaguered NHS. Obstetric cases accounted for more than half the value of all clinical negligence claims received by the NHS in England during 2023/2024.
Attwaters has extensive experience of representing families at inquests and settling negligence claims against NHS Trusts for birth injuries and fatalities. For example, we helped a family secure £14.4 million to help pay for their daughter’s ongoing care after she developed cerebral palsy following a serious brain injury at birth.
This is just one example of how Attwaters has assisted families that have been failed by maternity and neonatal units at NHS Trusts. Our team understands the emotional impact of reliving such traumatic events as part of a legal action and will support you every step of the way.
We also understand that for many families a medical negligence case is not just about receiving compensation but preventing other mothers and infants from being harmed in the future. If your family has been affected by failings in maternity or neonatal care, contact out specialist medical negligence team for a free consultation.
