Our client, Miss D*, contacted Farleys Solicitors after experiencing medical negligence during the birth of her second child.
Miss D had attended her local hospital a number of times during her pregnancy due to being unable to feel movement of the foetus. On the previous occasions, she had been reassured that her baby was fine. On the latest examination, it was decided that she would remain in hospital under observation because she was quite close to her due date.
While in hospital, her contractions began. The monitors our client was hooked up to (both portable and stationary) were found to be faulty; however, the healthcare professional who was monitoring Miss D and her baby remained with her throughout her shift in order to accurately monitor what was happening. Due to a shift change, that healthcare professional left after giving a handover to her colleague.
Not long after the shift change, a sudden decision was made that Miss D would have to undertake a caesarean section as her baby was deemed to be in distress. She was significantly upset by this news and was given a consent form to sign without any explanation as to what she was signing. She was rushed into theatre and her baby was born by caesarean section.
Due to the caesarean section and the circumstances surrounding it, Miss D experienced ongoing pain, longer rehabilitation and an inability to bond with her baby. She also has permanent scarring from the surgery.
It later transpired that there was no need for the baby to be born by c-section and Miss D could have continued with the natural birth as planned. The hospital trust admitted liability in the mistakes that were made in the lead up to the birth.
After being instructed to submit a claim for compensation on behalf of Miss D, Farleys’ medical negligence team got to work collating the case. We instructed medical experts in the maternity field to produce reports and arranged for our client to be seen for a psychological report to assess the impact of the events on her mental health.
Farleys submitted a claim for damages including for the injury itself and the cost of treatment and therapy, successfully claiming a total of £27,000.
Jane Chadwick, Associate Partner and Medical Negligence Solicitor at Farleys commented,
Our client went through an extremely traumatic experience which, had the proper care been provided, she would never have had to go through. It is hoped that this compensation can fund the treatment she needs to find closure on this experience.
If you have suffered serious injuries as a result of medical negligence during the birth of your child or the negligence has resulted in an injury to your baby, you can discuss your case in confidence with our specialists at Farleys. We have a great deal of experience in birth injury claims and will handle you case with the sensitivity it deserves. Call us today on 0845 287 0939 or get in touch by email.
*Some of our case studies have been anonymised to protect the privacy of our clients.