A difficult labour does not necessarily mean a birth injury will occur, but there is a real risk that serious injuries can arise.
Although the majority of births happen without complication, when problems do arise, the consequences can be devastating for expectant parents and their new born babies.
In most cases, problems during birth are tragically unavoidable. However, there are instances where families are failed by the medical staff in charge of their care, resulting in serious injuries to mother or child.
Failure by medical staff to recognise serious conditions, such as preeclampsia, maternal or gestational diabetes, or poor care during the delivery of a baby, may lead to a case for clinical negligence.
Medical negligence claims can be complex, and the clinical negligence team at Thompsons Solicitors works exclusively for clinical negligence clients, and has a wealth of experience in this specialist area of law.
One of Thompsons' clients, Bilaal, suffered a serious birth injury at the Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham in 2006. Following an eight minute delay in his treatment, Bilaal suffered severe dystonic athetoid cerebral palsy and now has irreversible brain damage.
Watch Bilaal's story to find out more about how Thompsons helped Bilaal and his family to secure a settlement that will allow his lifetime care needs to be met.
Linda Millband, joint head of Thompsons' clinical negligence team based in Thompsons Solicitors’ Nottingham office, said:
"Labour itself can be an overwhelming and daunting experience, especially for a new mum expecting her first child. It is therefore imperative that mother and baby receive the highest standard of care to protect them from the risks associated with birth.
"Unfortunately, at Thompsons, we have had to deal with serious birth injury cases resulting from medical negligence. As in Bilaal's case, many of our clients who have suffered a birth injury require lifelong care. We support our clients so that they can access the financial security they will need for future care, and work with them to plan their rehabilitation needs to ensure that they can live as normal a life as possible following the injury."
Click here to find our more information about birth injuries and how to start a birth injury compensation claim.
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Concerned about negligent medical treatment or diagnoses? Talk to us for advice and support today.
Our discreet and compassionate medical negligence solicitors are experienced in the full range of medical injury claims and will work with you to establish whether you have a medical negligence compensation claim.
If you, or a loved one, think you have suffered medical negligence, such as a birth injury (for example, a cerebral palsy diagnosis following a difficult birth), misdiagnosis (such as cancer misdiagnosis), or suffered negligence during an operation contact us for advice.
If the incident happened more than three years ago, you will usually not be able to make a claim for compensation. However, exceptions do apply – such as instances where you could not have reasonably known your symptoms were caused by clinical negligence, or cases involves adults who lack legal capacity or children – so contact us for advice.
For further information, visit our How to Make A Compensation Claim page.