When things go wrong or mistakes occur in the NHS they can have tragic consequences on patients and their families. Perhaps the most heart-breaking are those that happen during child birth, leaving either mother or baby with avoidable injury, or in some tragic cases, death.

Sadly many of these incidents are avoidable had timely and correct care been given.

During labour, things can progress quickly and straight-forward labour can develop into an emergency, where unexpected procedures are required. Not many births go perfectly to plan, but it is the job of Midwives and other medical professionals to look after both the mother and baby throughout the labour in an often busy maternity ward. This can be a difficult task, but where care-givers have failed in their duty of care, causing pain, injury, long-term conditions or loss then patients may have a high-value claim.

According to the Clinical Negligence Market Trends Report 2019, Obstetrics account for almost half of claim values. Maternity claims represent the highest value and second highest number of clinical negligence claims reported to NHS Resolution.

Medical negligence during childbirth can leave a mother feeling both physical and psychological pain, at a time when they should be celebrating the birth of their child. It can also lead to ongoing problems or complications for both mother and baby.

The types of medical negligence claims we have dealt with involving obstetrics, gynaecology and birth injury include;

• Mismanagement of high-risk pregnancies
• Failure to interpret scans or diagnose conditions in pregnancy
• Failure to spot or manage pre-eclampsia
• Poor labour or delivery management
• Child brain injury
• Cerebral palsy
• Erb’s palsy
• Errors in procedures such as administering an epidural, use of forceps or episiotomy
• Avoidable perineal tears or untreated tears
• Errors made during fertility treatment
• Errors made during abortion procedures
• Failure to diagnose or delayed treatment in gynaecology issues

If you or someone you know has suffered as a result of negligent medical treatment during pregnancy or birth, then please speak to our understanding team of legal experts today. Our team have experience dealing with obstetric claims and fully understand the sensitive and upsetting nature of these, offering guidance and support throughout your claim.

Call us today on 01256 844888, email enquiries@lambbrooks.com or engage with our online chat facility to receive a call back from an expert.

We understand that it can be difficult re-visiting a traumatic event and offer private meetings at our office, where often clients feel more comfortable discussing their case face-to-face, perhaps bringing along a partner, friend or family member for moral support.

The contents of this article are for the purposes of general awareness only. They do not purport to constitute legal or professional advice.  The law may have changed since this article was published.   Readers should not act on the basis of the information included and should take appropriate professional advice upon their own particular circumstances.