Articles by ‘Kerstin Scheel’

A large settlement has been reached on behalf of a 21 year old man, who was injured in the neonatal period as a result of untreated GBS (Group B Streptococcus) infection. His mother was…

This month we are raising awareness of this common and avoidable condition which can have devastating consequences for children at birth.

The UK has no universal antenatal screening programme to check whether a pregnant woman is carrying Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection. Instead, assessment of likely GBS carriage is risk-based only. The charity Group B Strep Support campaigns for the introduction of universal screening to try to reduce the incidence of neonatal infection with GBS, which can have severe consequences for the new born. New research supports this campaign.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a common bacterium which around 1 in 5 women carry at any time, though usually it is entirely harmless. However, it can sometimes be transmitted to the baby around childbirth and can cause infection in the newborn baby. Sadly, this infection can cause catastrophic injuries or even death.

Kerstin Kubiak, partner in RWK Goodman’s specialist medical negligence department, secured an admission of liability for a 19-year-old’s brain injury, suffered following a delay in diagnosis of his Group B Strep infection.

Leading charity, Group B Strep Support, has joined forces with the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG) in order to produce an informative patient leaflet about group B Strep. This leaflet, the first of its kind, will be given to all pregnant women as part of routine antenatal care in England and Wales and represents a huge step forwards in giving expectant mothers the opportunity to make informed choices about GBS.

Kerstin Scheel, Partner specialising in birth injury claims at RWK Goodman, acted for a 20 year old man, J, who suffered from a shortage of oxygen at the time of his birth at Nuneaton Maternity Hospital.

Kerstin Kubiak, Partner and birth injury specialist, acted for a 9 year old girl who suffered oxygen deprivation during her birth as a result of the hospital trust staff failing to react to signs of fetal distress and failing to undertake an emergency caesarean section.

Kerstin Kubiak represented a 24 year old female client in her claim for compensation for the severe brain injuries she suffered as a result of negligence around the time of her delivery. The allegations were that the hospital was negligent in its use of Prostin during her mother’s labour which caused excessive contractions and in turn caused our client to suffer lack of oxygen. There was then a delay in identifying that our client was in distress during labour as a result of the excessive contractions and therefore a delay in delivering her by emergency caesarean section. Had she been delivered about 20 minutes earlier than she was then she would have avoided all injury.

When it comes to the health and wellbeing of unborn children, NHS staff should be commended for their diligence and hard work. However, in the era of austerity, we are told that difficult choices must be made. It follows that the benefits of certain tests, medicines and therapies must be weighed against their cost to the tax payer.

RWK Goodman has joined national charity Group B Strep Support’s legal panel.

Partner Kerstin Kubiak successfully sued a hospital trust who had failed to ensure adequate hand hygiene procedures of hospital staff and who had failed to undertake a deep clean of a room previously occupied by an infected patient.