During a pregnancy, you are reliant on medical professionals for advice and high-quality care to ensure the well-being of both yourself and your unborn child. Unfortunately, errors can occur before or during childbirth, which can result in life-changing injuries or even the tragic loss of your child. This is referred to as pregnancy negligence.
At Ashtons, we believe that where a parent or their child has sustained a birth injury due to medical negligence, they should receive adequate compensation as a result. If you are in this situation, our birth injury solicitors near Nottingham can help.
We understand that nothing can truly make up for what you have experienced, particularly where injuries are more serious. Regardless, compensation can help you pay for the support you may need, as well as hold the negligent staff accountable.
In some circumstances, pursuing a claim can also result in changes to hospital policies to prevent the same thing from happening to other parents and infants. Our birth injury compensation claims solicitors have many years of experience helping affected parents navigate the compensation claims process, approaching each case with professionalism and sensitivity.
Our birth injury compensation claims solicitors near Nottingham can offer you the following:
- Free initial consultation to assess your claim
- No win, no fee funding, providing financial peace of mind
- A negotiation-led approach aiming to settle most claims out of court
- Expertise accredited by independent bodies, giving you confidence in our abilities
- A compassionate and personal service to support you during this challenging time
- Access to a free rehabilitation service for ongoing support and care.
If you have questions about birth injury claims or need guidance, get in touch with our solicitors, who will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.
Ashtons Legal Medical Negligence Team
At Ashtons Legal, we prioritise caring for our clients and creating lasting and meaningful relationships. Our main objective is to provide a service that is tailored to your specific circumstances and delivered in a friendly, approachable, and timely fashion. Our client’s needs are at the forefront of our practice, and we take this very seriously.
Our solicitors near Nottingham have extensive experience supporting families who have endured the challenges of birth injuries. We are acknowledged by leading client guides, the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners, and we hold various professional accreditations, including Lexcel, AvMa, Brain Injury Group, and APIL.
The senior members of our medical negligence team are recognized by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) as either Senior Fellows or Senior Litigators. Additionally, our Head of Medical Negligence, Sharon Allison, is part of the Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) Clinical Negligence Panel.
Our birth injury claims service includes:
- Assessing your birth injury claim during a free initial consultation
- No win, no fee funding, giving you financial security
- Building your birth injury case, including access to experienced medical experts to support your claim
- Representation in court, if required
- Access to our free rehabilitation service for ongoing health support.
If you would like further information about our claims process and to discuss your situation, please get in touch with our birth injury solicitors near Nottingham.
Frequently Asked Questions About Birth Injury Claims
What are birth injury claims?
Birth injury claims can happen after a child or their mother suffers injuries during childbirth as a result of medical negligence. These injuries can have serious and long-lasting consequences for the child, therefore having an impact on their loved ones as well.
Who can make a birth injury claim?
If you or your child have experienced birth injuries caused by medical negligence, you may have grounds to pursue a birth injury compensation claim to seek financial support for medical care, therapy, and other necessary resources.
How do I make a birth injury claim?
Making a birth injury compensation claim involves several steps. First, our solicitors will assess the details of your case during an initial consultation to determine whether you have grounds to make a claim. Once we have accepted a case, we then investigate the details of your specific situation, gathering important evidence and consulting with medical experts in order to build a robust case.
Our solicitors will then submit a formal letter of claim to the healthcare provider responsible for the medical negligence, which will outline the allegations and seek compensation. Most cases tend to result in a settlement outside of court, but if litigation is required, our solicitors will be at hand to provide you with expert representation.
For more information, please get in touch with our birth injury solicitors at Ashtons Legal.
How much compensation can you get for birth injuries?
The amount of compensation in birth injury claims varies depending on the specific circumstances of each case. It may include compensation for pain and suffering, ongoing medical care, therapy costs, loss of future earnings, and other related expenses.
What can cause birth injuries?
Birth injuries can be caused by various factors, such as improper medical care during pregnancy or childbirth, delayed diagnosis, incorrect use of medical equipment, or failure to respond to complications promptly.
If you believe you have a birth injury claim, please contact our compassionate and experienced birth injury claims solicitors near Nottingham. We will have an initial consultation to discuss your case and guide you through the legal process. You can reach us by phone, email, or through the contact form on our website.
How common are birth injuries?
The incidence of birth injuries can vary depending on various factors, such as the region, the level of medical care and more. Overall, birth injuries are quite rare, but can occur in a small percentage of deliveries. The medical advancements and improvements in recent years when it comes to prenatal care have significantly reduced the occurrence of birth injuries.
It’s important to remember that birth injuries are not always due to medical negligence. Some injuries may occur despite the best efforts of medical professionals and the proper standard of care. However, when birth injuries result from medical negligence or substandard care, families may have grounds to pursue birth injury compensation claims to seek support for the child’s ongoing medical needs and other related expenses.
What are the most common types of birth injuries to babies?
Common birth injuries can include:
- Brachial palsy: This is arm nerve damage due to a difficult shoulder birth, potentially causing permanent harm
- Bruising/forceps marks: Meaning bruises on the face/head from birth canal trauma, forceps, or vacuum extraction
- Caput succedaneum: Scalp swelling from birth canal pressure; this typically resolves swiftly
- Cephalohematoma: Bleeding between skull layers, leading to a head lump; absorption takes weeks
- Facial paralysis: Nerve injury affecting the face, evident during crying; the infant may recover in weeks or require surgery
- Fractures: Clavicle break during birth; this heals quickly but results in temporary limited arm movement
- Subconjunctival haemorrhage: Ruptured eye blood vessels; redness normally fades within a week.
What are the potential birth injuries to mothers?
Examples of birth injuries to mothers include:
- Fissures
- Caesarean injuries
- Vaginal tears
- Failing to manage or identify pregnancy complications
- Episiotomy
- Inappropriate use of Oxytocin
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Problems with anaesthetics
- Ruptured placenta/placenta previa
- Obstetric cholestasis.
If you’ve experienced a birth injury and would like to see if you have the basis of a claim, please contact our team at Ashtons today.
What are the risk factors for birth injury?
Birth injuries may occur due to various risk factors during delivery. These include larger birth weight, prolonged labour, abnormal presentation, premature birth, maternal health conditions, assisted delivery, multiple births, prolapsed umbilical cord, cephalopelvic disproportion, and inadequate prenatal care.
Not all births with these factors result in injuries; however, medical professionals should take these factors into consideration and provide the appropriate care as a result. Quick intervention and monitoring can help reduce the likelihood of birth injuries, ensuring the well-being of both the mother and child during pregnancy and labour.
Nottingham Maternity Scandal
Presently, an inquiry is underway at Nottingham University Hospital. There are indications that a significant number of infants might have died or been injured due to alleged medical negligence involving the hospital’s staff. The Independent and Channel 4 news conducted a preliminary investigation in 2021, revealing numerous instances where babies lost their lives or suffered brain damage due to childbirth-related mistakes.
This investigation is still in progress, but if you have been impacted by these events, we strongly encourage you to consult one of our solicitors, as you might have a basis for pursuing a legal claim.
Get in Touch with Our Birth Injury Solicitors near Nottingham
Our solicitors near Nottingham provide a friendly and professional service, so do not hesitate to get in contact.
You can contact us by calling 0330 1914835, emailing enquiries@ashtonslegal.co.uk or filling in the enquiry form on the right-hand side of our contact page.