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Although many cases in which birth injury lawyers act for parents in claiming compensation involve clinical negligence during the birth, there are other instances where staff, such as midwives, have failed to provide the expected standard of care beforehand, resulting in suffering for the baby or mother and sometimes death.
Midwives comprise a crucial part of the team providing ante-natal and peri-natal care for women and their children and, in general, the levels of skill and experience available to patients in UK hospitals and maternity units are extremely high.
Unfortunately, there have been avoidable deaths and birth accidents where midwives and other nursing professionals have failed to carry out checks on unborn babies or not realised the significance of symptoms as a risk of potential harm.
In 2011, a report into maternity care in the West Midlands area in the year 2008-09 found that 35 out of 94 deaths of babies who had died during birth or their first week of life could have been avoided. The cause of all the unexpected deaths analysed in the report was said to be sub-standard care by a midwife service which was 'understaffed' and 'overstretched'.
Nationally, there is an average of around one in 100 fatalities in new-born infants.
Community midwives are responsible for making initial checks on pregnant women as soon as possible after a pregnancy is confirmed. This includes an assessment of any potential health risks and, if needed, a referral to a consultant.
However, overworked and extremely busy staff can easily miss early signs of problems which might not then be picked up until much later in the pregnancy when the situation has become more critical.
Records of maternal health, tests and plans for investigations need to be carefully noted and acted upon.
First-time mothers, in particular, also need plenty of information to help them recognise signs of possible foetal distress so that they can seek help sooner rather than later if necessary.
On most maternity wards, midwives are in charge of all aspects of a mother's treatment where delivery is expected to be uncomplicated and only consult a doctor if an emergency arises.
But emergencies can occur quite suddenly when labour has been proceeding normally. For example, the mother's blood pressure may drop or the baby can become distressed through a lack of oxygen.
In those instances, the importance of regular and thorough monitoring becomes apparent so that a medical intervention can be made and a birth injury avoided.
YouClaim's specialist birth injury lawyers
A birth accident can be an extremely traumatic situation for a family and where there has been clinical negligence by a health service professional, such as a midwife, for any reason, the services of an experienced birth injury lawyer may be needed in order to achieve justified compensation for the pain and suffering involved.
If you consult a solicitor from YouClaim, you can be assured of not only the highest standards of work, as stipulated by the Law Society, but also sympathetic and helpful advice and representation from people who will explain everything in plain English.
More information about our personal injury services are on this website or you can contact us by email and in person by calling our legal team on 0800 10 757 95.
