
Patient safety in crisis
Maternity issues are now one of the biggest challenges facing hospitals in England and Wales. Failings in medical care in maternity units across the country
Our team of medical and legal experts will meticulously investigate your claim to secure the best outcome for your family.
Our team of birth injury specialists will support you every step of the way.
Our empathetic birth injury solicitors will be by your side throughout the claim process.
Our team is led by leading birth injuries specialist Diane Rostron who has in excess of 25 years’ experience in this complex area of law. Our experts are known for their warmth and empathy. We have a strong track record of securing the compensation needed to meet the needs of families affected by medical negligence – even when other law firms have failed. We understand that you need answers and offer more than just legal expertise, supporting clients every step of the way.
“If I know what love is, it is because of you.”
A delay in Liam’s delivery resulted in a deprivation of oxygen, causing permanent, irreversible brain damage leading to cerebral palsy.
“Every child is a different kind of flower. All together they make this world a beautiful garden.”
During the course of her birth, Hannah acquired a streptococcal infection which was not treated in time. This resulted in septicaemia and meningitis, causing permanent, irreversible brain damage.
“When it rains, look for rainbows. When it is dark, look for stars.”
Donna’s daughter suffered a serious, and entirely preventable, birth injury leading to lifelong disabilities including quadriplegic cerebral palsy, learning difficulties and behavioural issues.
Maternity issues are now one of the biggest challenges facing hospitals in England and Wales. Failings in medical care in maternity units across the country
Losing a baby as a result of a stillbirth is devastating and traumatic. Stillbirth incidents occur in one in every 250 births in England according
We represented this family at the inquest of their little girl Ella Rose Clover who sadly died following months of child abuse which included suffering
"Diane Rostron has a rare combination of excellent judgement, tenaciousness, and compassion for her clients."
"The team provides an excellent and responsive service."
"Diane Rostron provides a consistent professional approach to all cases. She is noted to have a thorough understanding of their current situation and works tirelessly to find solutions to immediate difficulties they may be facing. Diane ensures that the clients are up to date with the progression of their case and is happy to speak to them directly if required"
"I can’t thank Diane and her team enough for what they have done for our family. The service provided by Diane is second to none, it is exceptional. Diane is so knowledgeable and approachable, she explains everything in a way that is easy to understand. The relief we now feel knowing that our disabled child will be able to access all that she needs, and will be looked after for the rest of her life, is immeasurable. One of the best decisions I have ever made was to give Diane a call. I can’t recommend Diane enough".
"Coping with a brain damaged child is probably the biggest challenge of any parent's life. Challenging the NHS in terms of negligence is an entirely different battle which has enormous stress attached to it. The reason for pursuing it however, is to ensure your child will never have to suffer financially for the rest of their life. Diane Rostron and her team understand this, and possess the skills to ask the most appropriate questions to the NHS in a logical sequence that has ultimately won our case. I would highly recommend Diane who succeeded where others had previously failed.”
If you need advice or compensation, you can contact our team in complete confidence now by calling 01253 766 559 or emailing dr@addies.co.uk.
After your first contact with my office, we will take outline details from you about what you believe has gone wrong. We will then apply for the medical records. Obtaining them can take about a couple of months.
When we receive the records, we carefully organise and review them to make sure they are complete. A meeting is then arranged to go through the records with you and to discuss your recollection of what happened. We will prepare a statement for you.
Experts in the relevant fields of medicine will help us assess what happened. For example, we may need to refer to an obstetrician, a midwife, a neonatologist, a neurologist, a surgeon or a GP. When we have obtained experts opinions, we will have a meeting with you, the experts, our junior barrister and often our QC.
This meeting is known as a Conference. It is designed to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the case and after that meeting we will draft a letter to the hospital setting out what happened.
To get to this stage can take 12 months or more. The hospital is supposed to reply to our letter within four months, but they rarely do. Their reply may admit that mistakes were made and that this caused injury. More often, however, the reply will deny that there were such mistakes.
When that happens, we have to issue court proceedings. This involves drafting ‘Particulars of Claim’, a document setting out the case. After we have served proceedings the hospital has 28 days to file a ‘Defence’. They often ask for an extension of time to do this.
The court will set a timetable for the management of the case. Many steps have to be taken. The timetable is usually about 18 months to the actual hearing of the case. During this time we will exchange witness statements and experts’ reports with the hospital. Our legal experts will have a discussion with the hospital’s experts to try and see what can be agreed. Our experience is that cases can be settled at any stage. If there is no settlement, there is a trial by a judge (no jury).
The judge reads and hears all the evidence and reaches a conclusion (hopefully in our favour).
I do my best to achieve success. A successful case can transform lives.