Many parents may strongly suspect that something may not have been right following the birth of their child. It can sometimes take several years before advice is sought.
This is often the case when medical staff do not fully communicate, or fail to communicate at all, that a child suffered a very serious injury before, during, or just after their birth.
Lack of adequate communication
It often takes time, in some cases several years, before missed milestones are harder to explain, or ignore.
It is not too often, if at all, that a hospital openly admits to families that the wrong decision was made, or that it failed to deliver the appropriate level of patient care.
Accountability following a birth injury
Avoidable catastrophic birth injuries are rarely admitted. For families, this is not only devastating, but adds to the trauma of realising that their child has permanent disabilities.
Trying to access the right support through a local authority and the NHS, can prove challenging, at best, for many.
How birth injuries occur
Medical negligence during a pregnancy and before, during, or just after a baby is born, can cause fatal outcomes such as a stillbirth or neonatal death.
Errors made during this critical period can also lead to lifelong disabilities including Erb’s palsy and cerebral palsy.
A significant birth injury may occur as a result of just a few minutes delay in medical staff taking the appropriate action. The consequences of birth injury incidents last a lifetime.
Birth injuries injure the whole family
The devastating ripple effect of a birth injury touches every member of the affected family.
Seeking advice following a suspected birth injury, as soon as possible, is strongly advised as birth injury compensation is hard fought by the NHS.
The cost of meeting a child’s complex lifelong needs after a medical negligence incident runs into several millions of pounds. Specialist wheelchairs and aids, adapted homes, a range of regular therapies and carers, are just some of the costs that should be considered.
Securing peace of mind
For parents, the most terrifying thought is not being able to meet their child’s needs. The worry of not knowing how their child will be cared for when they are no longer able to, or no longer around, adds substantial stress to the situation.
Starting a birth injury claim, even when medical negligence is just a niggling suspicion, is highly recommended. In most cases, compensation is pursued on a no win, no fee basis.
Short term financial support during a birth injury claim
Leading birth injury experts can also identify early on whether medical negligence may have led to a child’s serious birth injury.
Specialist clinical negligence solicitors understand that a child that has suffered a birth injury cannot wait for the years’ long legal process before having their needs met.
Birth injury compensation claims involve securing interim payments to help families in these difficult circumstances provide the best care possible, while the legal process continues.
Answers when none are given
One of the hardest aspects of a birth injury is when the hospital involved simply does not give any answers. ‘It was one of those things’ is often the only explanation provided to families who suspect there was more to it.
Every child, and every family, deserves to understand the why? Knowing exactly what happened leading to a baby being born with irreversible birth injuries is their right.
Uncovering the truth
Pursuing birth injury compensation means that forensic, and detailed, investigations will take place.
During the legal process, families will gain insights into exactly what happened, and when. A strong team of medical negligence experts, specialising in birth injury claims, will uncover where mistakes were made and prove that clinical negligence caused a child’s permanent disabilities.
Moving forward after a birth injury
Birth injuries change every aspect of a family’s life. What families know as their day to day can quickly become overwhelmed with their child being ill, attending several weekly appointments, and a physically, and emotionally demanding care regime.
For many parents, it means at least one giving up work in order to manage their child’s complex needs.
Hesitation before making a birth injury claim
Legal action against the hospital believed to be responsible for a child’s birth injuries will not of course change what has happened.
Birth injury compensation claims are not easy. To make a claim may be a bold step for some who may doubt what they believe.
The thought of being embroiled in legal action may feel too much for exhausted parents who are struggling with the physical demands, and the psychological trauma, of a birth injury.
Hope during the birth injury claims process
Talking to the right birth injury claims solicitor takes a considerable weight off parents’ shoulders.
Relaying fears, worries and concerns to a professional who truly listens, and understands, is the start of a journey to empower families who feel helpless, and abandoned, by the medical professionals they trusted.
Make a birth injury claim today
To make a birth injury claim may feel daunting for some. Questioning the medical staff who have advised that nothing could have been done to change the outcome may feel unsurmountable.
Medical negligence causing a birth injury is difficult to prove. However, families can overcome, and succeed, in birth injury claims with the right team behind them.
Historic incidents leading to birth injury claims
Heightened awareness of medical negligence, and the compensation that an injured child is entitled to, may help families who have long since accepted that nothing could have been done to make a claim.
A successful birth injury compensation claim will calculate past and future care costs in these circumstances.
Medical negligence compensation
Accessing the much-needed compensation at the end of a birth injury claim requires medical evidence that an event, or chain of events, could have been different with better medical care.
The careful, and knowledgeable, scrutiny of medical records will expose critical failings during the course of a pregnancy and child’s birth.
When maternity culture impacts patient care
It was recently uncovered that in the maternity units in Shropshire, the hospital culture was one that prided itself on a low number of caesarean sections.
This led to a number of incidents when a natural birth was simply not the safest option for mother and baby leading to catastrophic outcomes.
Financial security for the life of a child
When a child has suffered a birth injury, their needs are complex and extensive.
Changing needs following a brain injury at birth
A child affected by a brain injury at birth will have their needs change as they get older, but the scope of their needs will remain extensive for the rest of their life.
Expert birth injury lawyers meticulously calculate what this will look like in the future to ensure that the correct amount of compensation is sought.
A family’s financial losses related to past care costs are also factored in, so a birth injury claim settlement includes the cost of care for a child’s entire life.
Life changing impact of birth injury compensation claims
A successful birth injury claim will transform the life of a child that has suffered a brain injury at birth by providing the financial security to meet their needs.
Knowing that the cost of carers is provided for to give parents much needed respite, and peace of mind that their child will be looked after when they are no longer able to, lifts a significant weight.
Giving a child the freedom to flourish
Specialist, and costly equipment – such as wheelchairs and home technology – can facilitate a child’s independence as they develop giving them a much-needed confidence boost.
Specialist aids also provide some relief from the frustration with the limitations of their disabilities.
Home environment that caters for a disabled child
Birth injury cases when a child has developed lifelong disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, look at a child’s current home environment. Birth injury lawyers consider whether the family home meets the child’s current, and future needs.
Home adaptations – or a new property altogether – will likely be needed to allow for wheelchair access for example, and wet rooms to make bathing less restrictive.
Life after a successful birth injury claim
The relationship with the right birth injury lawyers continues long after birth injury claims are settled.
As the compensation runs into multi-million pounds, it is critical that the child’s finances are managed in accordance with what has been approved in court.
This means that the birth injury lawyers instructed when a family make a claim can continue to support them for the rest of their child’s life.
Connecting with other families affected by a birth injury
It can feel very lonely and isolating following a traumatic birth as parents come to terms with what has happened.
Watching an injured child’s siblings and peers develop and meet milestones can compound the hurt and emotional rollercoaster.
Help is just a phone call away
Leading birth injury solicitors will represent families across England and Wales giving families the option of instructing true specialists and removing the limitation of local firms who do not have the expertise to win a complex birth injury claim.
Make a birth injury claim today
Whether a niggling suspicion, or a strong instinct, make a claim following a serious birth injury. Most cases are pursued on a no win no fee basis.
A compensation claim for an injury at birth will only be progressed if a law firm believes there is a good chance that it can be proved to be caused by medical negligence.
Families will be guided through the legal process, every step of the way, and will be informed relatively quickly if they do not have a claim so there is nothing to lose by making a call.
Legal experts and parents on your side
The team of medical and legal experts at Diane Rostron offer in excess of 25 years’ experience in representing families following a stillbirth, neonatal death, or when a child has suffered catastrophic injuries leading to erb’s palsy or cerebral palsy.
Instructing the team for a medical negligence claim means being in a safe pair of hands. If your child has experienced a life changing injury, or you have lost a child to what you believe was poor medical care, the team of parents are here to help.
Claim compensation today
Contact Diane Rostron today with brief details of what happened, at which hospital and when, and the difficulties that your child is experiencing.
We will discuss your query and advise whether your child may be entitled to compensation as a result of their birth injury. We are just one phone call away.