Articles in ‘Birth Injury’ Category

The Birth Trauma Association is running their annual awareness campaign from 6-12 September 2020. Many women have been urged to share their experiences with each other and their own personal stories and journey to recovery, the charity’s research suggesting that some 30,000 women annually suffer from birth trauma.

During birth injury awareness week 2020 one of our clients has kindly agreed to share her personal story with others, explaining what she went through, how she coped with her injuries, and how she eventually “came out the other side”.

Not all birth trauma has a visible, physical impact upon new mothers. Sometimes, events and their aftermath can lead to significant psychological harm which isn’t visible but is no less damaging, and this is especially true when a birth injury occurs. Here we relate the story of one of our clients, whose daughter developed Erb’s palsy after negligent maternity care.

The COVID-19 crisis has had a devastating effect on numerous aspects of the economy, and the charity sector is no exception. It is estimated that the sector has lost at least £4.5 billion in income as a consequence of the pandemic, so many charities have had to fall back on their reserves.

We asked Katrina Hart, who is sponsored by our Medical Negligence team, about her experience of achieving her goals whilst living with cerebral palsy and what she hopes for in the future.

Kerstin Scheel details a recent claim against a Bristol hospital Trust for significant maternal injuries including vaginal and perineal tears, some of which required a blood transfusion.

Eirian Hitchmough, a solicitor in our Compensation Protection Unit, recognises last week’s anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act and explains how things have changed in the last 25 years – as well as what still needs to happen…

Kerstin Scheel details a claim involving a six-year-old boy who suffered negligent treatment at birth, resulting in cerebral palsy.

Kerstin Scheel explains the changes made to processes of the NHS Early Notification Scheme (ENS) and Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) in light of COVID-19.

Richard Coleman details a successful claim for medical negligence against the John Radcliffe Hospital, after negligent treatment at birth resulted in life-changing cerebral palsy.

A significant cause of maternal deaths in the UK results from sepsis (around 10%) (1). The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) have clear guidelines on the management of bacterial sepsis before and after pregnancy, but is this enough to prevent serious harm to mother and babies from sepsis?

The claimant, a 30-year-old woman, received £70,000 for the injuries sustained during childbirth. She suffered an avoidable fourth degree perineal tear. Despite repair surgery she suffered from flatal incontinence, faecal urgency and faecal leakage.