Compensation claims arising from failures in maternity care have cost the NHS £4 billion in last ten years

New data has revealed that maternity care failures over the last ten years have left more than 1,200 children with permanent brain damage and cost the NHS more than £4 billion in compensation.

NHS Resolution, which handles compensation claims on behalf of the NHS, have reported that the number of maternity claims has increased significantly from 391 in 2009 to 765 in the year 2019-2020.

The figures underline the consequences of maternity safety mistakes within the NHS, with 1,226 children left with cerebral palsy as a result of negligence when they were starved of oxygen during their birth. The data also includes over 1,000 deaths and 386 cases of the loss of a baby as a result of errors.

According to the Care Quality Commission, there are over 1,000 serious incidents in NHS maternity units every year with almost two-fifths of maternity units needing to improve on safety.

NHS England have recently acknowledged that more investment was needed in maternity care, announcing nearly £100 million for maternity safety from this month, with funding for 1,000 additional midwives, 80 more consultants and a dedicated maternity training fund.

Maternity compensation claims, including payments to cover the life-long needs of disabled children, currently make up around half of all negligence payments made by NHS Resolution.

Chadwick Lawrence’s team of medical negligence lawyers have years of experience in high value and complex medical negligence compensation claims and have an excellent record. The team is led by Tony May, a specialist cerebral palsy and birth injury solicitor, who has over 20 years experience in handling cases in which babies have been brain damaged or sustained other injuries as a result of medical negligence. He and his team continue to represent many cerebral palsy children and young adults in medical negligence claims. Tony also acts as a Court of Protection Deputy for many of the cerebral palsy and brain damaged clients that he has represented, so we can continue to support you after your case is settled. Tony can be contacted by email on tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk. Alternatively, please call and speak to any of Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist medical negligence Legal Aid and no win, no fee solicitors for free legal advice on Freephone 0800 304 7382