Funding is Key to Maternity Safety, Lawyer Warns

11/07/2008

Maternity units must be better resourced and funded if they are to stop making serious errors, a leading north east clinical negligence lawyer has warned.

Following the publication of a report on the safety of UK maternity services, Angela Curran, clinical negligence partner and birth trauma expert at Irwin Mitchell, said incidences of clinical negligence would continue until funding improved.

Irwin Mitchell has the region’s leading clinical negligence team that deals with dozens of cases each year – many involving clients that have been left seriously disabled as a result of birth trauma.

Angela Curran said: “How many children must be left catastrophically disabled by medical mistakes before action is taken? Many of the clients I deal with have been left in terrible health and needing expensive, round-the-clock care for the rest of their lives.

"Many instances of clinical negligence are in some part due to low staffing levels and poor training – the most tragic part is that these mistakes could often be avoided.

"Hospital trusts in the north east spend millions each year on compensation payments to provide essential care and respite for our clients. In the long-term, it would be good to see proper levels of investment made in order to vastly reduce the number of mistakes that are made in the future.

"Better funding still may not prevent occasional examples of human error but it would surely improve the statistics.

"We have found that midwifery-led units, particularly those in rural areas, can be problematic as they do not have the staff on hand to cope if something goes wrong.

"Mums-to-be must be kept informed of all their options – and made to understand the inherent risks associated with attempting problematic deliveries in certain maternity units."