Articles by ‘Kerstin Scheel’

Iwan Thomas, Olympic sprinter and television presenter, appeared on ITV’s This Morning recently, telling the story of how his son, Teddy, developed a group B Strep infection in the days after his birth.

It was with great dismay that I read today of an inquest, which heard evidence relating to the tragic death of baby Rocco, who died at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough in June 2017. Rocco’s mother was a known carrier of group B Streptococcus (GBS). However, despite this being made clear in her medical records, she was not admitted to hospital for antibiotic therapy following the rupture of her membranes.

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.