Skip to main content
  • About
  • News & Insights
  • Careers
  • International
Call us Free on 0800 121 6567
Dialog that contains search functionality
Irwin Mitchell Logo
  • Personal
    • Personal
    • Personal Home
    • Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims Home
      • Abuse Claims
      • Accidents In Public Places Claims
      • Criminal Injury Compensation Claims
      • Accident At Work Claims
      • Air, Rail & Maritime Claims
      • Asbestos & Mesothelioma Claims
      • Changing Solicitors During a Personal Injury Claim
      • Group Claims
      • Holiday Accidents & Illness Claims
      • Illness Compensation Claims
      • Industrial Disease Claims
      • Injury Types
      • Military Injury Compensation Claims
      • No Win No Fee Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims In Scotland
      • How To Claim Compensation For Personal Injury
      • Product Liability Claims
      • Road Traffic Accident Claims
      • Serious Injury Claims
      • Who Can Help?
      • Support Services
    • Medical Negligence Claims
      • Medical Negligence Claims
      • Medical Negligence Claims Home
      • Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Birth Injury Claims
      • Cauda Equina Syndrome Claims
      • Never Event Claims
      • Ambulance & Paramedic Medical Negligence Claims
      • Cosmetic Surgery Claims
      • Private Healthcare Claims
      • Cerebral Palsy Claims
      • Defective Medical Device Claims
      • Dental Negligence Claims
      • Diabetes Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Fatal Medical Negligence Claims & Inquests
      • GP Negligence Claims
      • Hospital Negligence Claims
      • What Is Medical Negligence?
      • Meningitis Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Failure To Prevent Suicide Claims
      • Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Ophthalmic Negligence Claims
      • Pregnancy & Gynaecology Injury Claims
      • Sepsis Negligence Claims
      • Pharmacy And Medication Negligence Claims
      • Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust Maternity Care Claims
      • Stroke Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Surgery Compensation Claims
    • Counselling
      • Counselling
      • Counselling Home
      • Counselling Myths Dispelled
    • Family Law
      • Family Law
      • Family Law Home
      • Divorce Solicitors
      • Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreement Solicitors
      • Child Abduction Solicitors
      • Civil Partnership Solicitors
      • LGBT+ Family Law Solicitors
      • Unmarried Couples' Rights
      • Divorce Financial Settlement Solicitors
      • Child Arrangement Orders
      • Family Mediation
      • Out of Court Divorce Solicitors
      • Separation Agreement Solicitors
      • Adoption & Surrogacy Solicitors
    • Wills, Trusts & Estates
      • Wills, Trusts & Estates
      • Wills, Trusts & Estates Home
      • Estate Planning Solicitors
      • Powers Of Attorney
      • Trusts
      • Will Writing Services
      • Will Disputes & Contentious Probate
    • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors
      • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors
      • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors Home
      • Conveyancing Fees Calculator
      • Buying A Property
      • Selling A Property
      • Remortgage
      • Transfer Of Equity
      • Buy To Let
      • Freehold Purchase (Leasehold Enfranchisement) Solicitors
      • Lease Extension Solicitors
      • Conveyancing Guide
      • Residential Property Disputes
    • Tax
      • Tax
      • Tax Home
      • Business Tax
      • Inheritance Tax
      • International Tax
      • Professional Negligence
      • HMRC Tax Investigations
      • Tax Disputes & Litigation
      • Tax Residence
      • Tax Returns & Compliance
      • UK Resident Non-Doms
      • Wealth Structuring
    • Probate
      • Probate
      • Probate Home
      • International Probate
      • Probate Sale Conveyancing
      • What Is Probate & How Does It Work?
    • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes
      • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes
      • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes Home
      • Trust Disputes
      • Inheritance Act Claims
      • Contesting A Will
      • Contentious Probate
      • Pre-Death Agreements
      • Professional Negligence
      • Challenging A Lifetime Gift
      • Financial Abuse
      • Statutory Will Disputes
      • Defending A Contested Will
    • Employment Solicitors
      • Employment Solicitors
      • Employment Solicitors Home
      • Employment Contract Solicitors
      • Employment Disputes
      • Dismissal & Redundancy Solicitors
      • Employment Discrimination Solicitors
      • Employment Lawyers for Legal Expenses Insurance
      • Harassment & Bullying At Work Solicitors
      • Parental & Family Friendly Employment Rights
      • Professional Discipline Solicitors
      • Recruitment & Promotion
      • Senior Executive Employment Lawyers
      • Settlement Agreements
      • Whistleblowing Solicitors
    • Elderly Legal Services
    • Protecting Your Rights
      • Protecting Your Rights
      • Protecting Your Rights Home
      • Actions Against The Police
      • Inquests
      • Environmental & Planning Law
      • Assessment & Treatment Unit Solicitors
      • Data Protection Breach Claims
      • Education Law
      • Healthcare & Social Services
      • Human Rights
      • Judicial Review
      • Mental Capacity
      • Professional Regulation & Discipline
      • Dispute Resolution
      • Legal Aid
    • Immigration Solicitors
      • Immigration Solicitors
      • Immigration Solicitors Home
      • British Citizenship & Naturalisation Solicitors
      • EU & EEA Immigration Solicitors
      • Indefinite Leave To Remain Solicitors
      • Spouse Visa Solicitors
      • Innovator Visa
      • Permanent Residence Solicitors
      • Business Immigration Solicitors
    • Crime & Investigations
      • Crime & Investigations
      • Crime & Investigations Home
      • Crime
      • Fraud & Financial Crime
      • Court Martial Solicitors
      • Motoring Offences Legal Advice
      • Regulatory Investigations & Enforcement
    • Insolvency
      • Insolvency
      • Insolvency Home
      • Business Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Debt Consultancy
      • Insolvency Disputes & Litigation
    • Court Of Protection
      • Court Of Protection
      • Court Of Protection Home
      • Court Of Protection Deputyship
      • Personal Injury Trusts
      • Court Of Protection Problems & Disputes
      • Healthcare and Social Services
      • Court of Protection Frequently Asked Questions
      • Powers Of Attorney Disputes
      • Statutory Wills Solicitors
  • Wealth Management
    • Wealth Management
    • Wealth Management Home
    • Asset Management For Personal Injury
    • Charity & Philanthropy
    • Estate Planning
    • Ethical & Sustainable Investing
    • Financial Planning
    • Intergenerational Wealth Management
    • Investment Management
    • Retirement Financial Planning
    • Family Offices
    • Succession Planning
    • Tax Planning
  • Business
    • Business
    • Business Home
    • Sectors
      • Sectors
      • Sectors Home
      • Agriculture & Rural Business
      • Retail, Leisure & Hospitality
      • Education
      • Financial & Professional Services
      • Landed Estates
      • Manufacturing
      • Real Estate
      • Sport
      • Technology & Communications
    • Banking & Finance
      • Banking & Finance
      • Banking & Finance Home
      • Corporate Banking
      • Leveraged & Acquisition Finance
      • Real Estate Finance
      • Receivables Finance & Asset Based Lending
    • Environmental, Social & Governance
      • Environmental, Social & Governance
      • Environmental, Social & Governance Home
      • Cyber Security
      • Environment
      • Net Zero
      • Social
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Governance
      • International
      • ESG Legal Advisory Services
      • Legislation Library
      • Manufacturing Sector
      • Real Estate
      • Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Sector
      • Sports Sector
    • Business Crime
      • Business Crime
      • Business Crime Home
      • Anti-Bribery & Corruption
      • Asset Tracing & Recovery
      • Cartels & Illegal Price Fixing
      • Cybercrime
      • Dawn Raids
      • Deferred Prosecution Agreements
      • Extradition
      • INTERPOL Red Notices
      • Mutual Legal Assistance
      • Private Prosecution
      • Proceeds Of Crime Act
      • Unexplained Wealth Orders
      • Fraud Lawyers
      • Insider Trading & Market Abuse
      • Corporate Internal Investigations
    • Business Immigration
      • Business Immigration
      • Business Immigration Home
      • Business Visitor Visa
      • Global Business Mobility Visas
      • Innovator Visa
      • Prevention Of Illegal Working
      • Skilled Worker Visas
      • Sole Representative Of An Overseas Business
      • UK Visa Sponsor License
    • Commercial
      • Commercial
      • Commercial Home
      • Commercial Contracts
      • Competition Law
      • GDPR & Data Protection
      • Information Technology
      • Sourcing
      • Notary Public Solicitors
    • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
      • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
      • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Home
      • Banking & Finance Litigation
      • Business Interruption Insurance Lawyers
      • Contract Disputes
      • Defamation & Reputation Management
      • International & Cross-Border Disputes
      • Commercial Debt Recovery
      • Litigation Funding
      • Professional Negligence
    • Corporate
      • Corporate
      • Corporate Home
      • Corporate Advisory
      • Equity Capital Markets
      • Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
      • Private Equity
      • Search Funds and Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Lawyers
    • Costs Team
    • Employment Law
      • Employment Law
      • Employment Law Home
      • Business Immigration
      • Employment Contracts, Policies & Procedures
      • Disciplinary & Grievance
      • Employee & Industrial Relations
      • Employment Lawyers for Legal Expenses Insurance
      • Employment Litigation & Resolution Lawyers
      • Equality, Diversity & Discrimination
      • Flexible Working Arrangements
      • Health & Safety
      • HR Advice Service - IMhrplus
      • Managing Sickness Absence
      • Pensions
      • Recruitment
      • Restrictive Covenants
      • Restructuring & Redundancy
      • Self Employment, Contractors & Agency Workers
      • Employment Seminars, Training & Updates
      • TUPE
    • In-House Counsel
    • Intellectual Property and Media
      • Intellectual Property and Media
      • Intellectual Property and Media Home
      • Defamation & Reputation Management
      • Copyright Lawyers
      • Design Rights Lawyers
      • Image Rights Lawyers
      • Online Marketplace Seller Account Or Listing Suspensions
      • Stopping IP Infringement By Sellers On Online Marketplaces
      • Patent Lawyers
      • Trade Mark Lawyers
      • Trade Secrets Lawyers
    • Legal Helpline
    • Licensing
      • Licensing
      • Licensing Home
      • Betting & Gaming Licensing
      • Event Licences
      • Alcohol Licensing
    • Pensions
      • Pensions
      • Pensions Home
      • Employment
      • Managing Death Benefit Trusts
    • Regulatory & Compliance
      • Regulatory & Compliance
      • Regulatory & Compliance Home
      • Road Transport & Operator Compliance
      • GDPR & Data Protection
      • Regulatory Investigations
      • Account Freezing Orders
      • Anti-Money Laundering
      • Companies House Prosecutions
      • Environment & Safety Regulatory Compliance
      • Financial Services Regulation
    • Real Estate
      • Real Estate
      • Real Estate Home
      • Corporate Occupiers
      • Real Estate Development and Regeneration
      • Construction & Engineering
      • Environmental
      • Real Estate Finance
      • Real Estate Investment
      • Later Living & Care
      • Planning
      • Property Litigation & Real Estate Disputes
      • Real Estate Tax
      • Residential Development
      • Strategic Land
      • Structured Real Estate
    • Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Restructuring & Insolvency Home
      • Corporate Insolvency
      • Partnership Insolvency
      • Directors' Duties
      • Restructuring Plans
      • Debt Recovery (up to £100,000) – Pricing
      • Restructuring
    • Tax
      • Tax
      • Tax Home
      • Corporate Tax
      • Real Estate Tax
      • Tax Investigations
  • People
    • People
    • People Home
    • Search By Name
    • Search By Location
    • Search By Expertise
    • Business Management
  • Offices
    • Offices
    • Offices Home
    • Birmingham
    • Brighton
    • Bristol
    • Cambridge
    • Cardiff
    • Chichester
    • Edinburgh
    • Gatwick
    • Glasgow
    • Leeds
    • Liverpool
    • London
    • Manchester
    • Middlesbrough
    • Newbury
    • Newcastle
    • North Yorkshire
    • Nottingham
    • Reading
    • Sheffield
    • Southampton
  • Contact
  • About
  • News & Insights
  • Careers
  • International
Irwin Mitchell Logo
Dialog with Irwin Mitchell phone number
Call us on 0800 121 6567

We're here 24/7, 365 days a year.

  • Home
  • Personal
  • Medical Negligence Claims
  • Cerebral Palsy Claims

Cerebral Palsy Claims

Trustpilot

Services in: Cerebral Palsy Claims

Cerebral palsy is a life-changing condition that affects a child’s movement, posture, and coordination. Any child with cerebral palsy is likely to need a great deal of support and care throughout their life. This type of care isn’t always available through the NHS, and many families can struggle to fund their child’s treatment.

Living with this condition can be difficult enough. But learning that it was caused by someone else’s negligence can be unbearable. If your child’s condition was caused by medical negligence, our specialist solicitors can help you make a cerebral palsy compensation claim.

We’ve the largest medical negligence team in the UK, giving us an unrivalled set of expertise in getting our clients the compensation they deserve. Contact us today to discuss your situation with some of the most experienced lawyers in the country.

If our expert solicitors believe there are concerns about the treatment you or your baby received, we’ll investigate your cerebral palsy claim. This treatment could've occurred either during your labour or in the neonatal period. We'll use independent medical experts to investigate the standard of care you received.

We’ll work out whether mistakes were made and how they could’ve been avoided. For example, medical negligence in cerebral palsy cases often involves a failure to:

  • Monitor the baby’s growth rate during pregnancy
  • Monitor the baby’s heartbeat in pregnancy and during labour
  • Respond to changes in the baby’s heartbeat, where the pattern suggests the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck
  • Respond quickly enough if the baby becomes stuck in the birth canal or develops signs of distress
  • Deliver the baby early enough or by offering a caesarean section.

Our dedicated lawyers will guide you through the claims process while we seek to establish whether the care provided was negligent. Until we can secure interim payments, we'll support you by putting you in touch with our charity partners, as well as healthcare and rehabilitation contacts.

Our specialist Public Law team can also help if you're struggling to get the right EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) for your child’s education. If the hospital or NHS trust admit responsibility early, we'll secure early compensation payments. These can help with your child’s rehabilitation and care.

Our solicitors can also advise you and your family if you're going through the NHS Early Notification Scheme.

Why choose us to handle your cerebral palsy compensation claim?

Our specialist solicitors have decades of experience helping people claim cerebral palsy compensation. We’ve secured many significant lifetime rehabilitation packages for our clients. Notable cerebral palsy claims we’ve been involved in include:

  • May 2023 - £8.495m for 24-year-old with cerebral palsy
  • October 2023 - £26.6m for 8-year-old boy who suffered oxygen deprivation at birth and developed cerebral palsy
  • November 2023 - £14.95m for a 7-year-old boy who developed meningitis which was missed by midwifery staff leading to his developing severe cerebral palsy

Our team is consistently ranked by independent directories, such as The Legal 500 as Top Tier for clinical negligence claims. They state: “The practitioners have outstanding experience in complex clinical negligence cases. There are fee earners with particular expertise. This means that clients get a solicitor with real experience of dealing with similar cases which is often invaluable in identifying the stand out experts etc.”

Chambers and Partners, another leading legal researcher, has ranked us in their highest band for clinical negligence for over 20 years. They say of our team: “The firm is in the top category for clinical negligence work. The team is really impressive, with lots of depth and breadth.”

Aside from our legal expertise, you’ll have the support of teams across our firm, including:

  • Our Support and Rehabilitation team, who’ll help you access the help and rehabilitation you need.
  • Our Asset Management team, who can advise you on how to invest your compensation and make it last for as long as you need it to.
  • Our Court of Protection team is the largest in the UK. They can help people manage their affairs if they don’t have the mental capacity to do it themselves. Our Wills team can help you make provision for your family for the future.

We also have offices located across the UK, meaning you can access legal help that’s local to you. We can also arrange to visit you at home or in hospital if you can’t come into a local office. We work in a way that suits you best, meaning there’s also the option to communicate by email, phone, or video call.

No Win No Fee agreements available in most cases*
Links with support groups and charities
Recognised by independent legal guides
Offices across the country

Call our experts FREE on:

0800 121 6567

Or we can call you back at a time of your choice

Phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year

Contact us today

For a free initial consultation

Freephone

0800 121 6567

Prefer not to call?

Use our form

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.

Lisa Jordan
Lisa Jordan Managing Partner - Medical Negligence Meet the team

More information on cerebral palsy claims

If you suspect that your child’s cerebral palsy was the result of medical negligence, you can contact us for a free initial consultation. We’ll advise you on whether you could make a cerebral palsy compensation claim.

If so, we’ll get in touch with those responsible for your child’s treatment at an early stage to see if they accept responsibility. If they accept responsibility, we’ll try to secure interim compensation payments. These are advance payments of the final compensation award and can fund private medical care and ongoing expenses before your claim is settled. Any interim payments will be taken out of your final compensation award.

Our experts will investigate your case in detail, gathering evidence from independent medical professionals. These experts evaluate the care provided to you and your child during pregnancy, labour and infancy and advise on whether they believe that care was substandard. Experts will also advise us on the care as well as other needs of your child for the future.

We always try to settle claims out of court. This minimises the amount of stress you need to go through. However, if those responsible don’t admit responsibility, or disagree with the amount of compensation we believe you need, we’ll begin court proceedings.

Even if trial dates are set, there’s still the chance that your claim could be settled out of court. We’ll always act on your instructions and make sure you feel as comfortable as possible.

Not all cases of cerebral palsy are caused by medical negligence. It can be caused by abnormal brain development while a child is in the womb, which is undetectable at the time. A brain haemorrhage or lack of oxygen to the child’s brain can also cause cerebral palsy and sometimes this happens ‘silently’ with no signs or symptoms during pregnancy.

It’s also vital that every newborn baby is monitored for conditions and infections that could lead to cerebral palsy after they’re born. We’ve helped families after doctors failed to monitor or diagnose:

  • Hypoglycaemia
  • Meningitis
  • Jaundice (kernicterus).

Every cerebral palsy compensation claim is based on that child’s individual circumstances, level of disability, and needs. Because of this, the amount of compensation awarded in each case is different. Your child’s lifetime needs are considered, which means claims can often settle for millions of pounds.

Sometimes, the full effects of cerebral palsy may be unknown until the child develops. In some cases, this may not happen until adolescence. One common option is if that is the case, is a “stay in proceedings”. This means your claim is placed “on hold” and we wait for the child to develop. This way, we can understand the likely care and support that your child may need in the future.

If medical professionals admit mistakes were made, we can help you access payments to help pay for essential care and rehabilitation while the claim is on hold.

Every case is different, and we’ll let you know if this is a possibility during your claim for compensation.

Contact us to discuss your situation in a free initial consultation. Once we know a bit more about what happened, we’ll be able to give you an idea of how much compensation you could claim for.

Compensation is calculated based on:

  • The severity of the condition
  • Yours/your child’s pain and suffering
  • Necessary adjustments and modifications to your home
  • Purchase and adaptation of a new home, if appropriate
  • Therapies and rehabilitation required to meet your child’s needs
  • Costs of a professional care package
  • Medical, equipment and travel expenses
  • Your child’s future loss of earnings.

If you’re making a claim on behalf of your child, you can start a claim at any point before they turn 18.

If your child is over 18, the time limit for making a cerebral palsy claim will depend on the level of mental capacity they have.

In cases where people lack the mental capacity to make a claim themselves, there’s no time limit to make a claim.

In cases where you have cerebral palsy and the mental capacity to make a claim yourself, and you’re over 18, you’ve until you are 21 to make a claim.

Yes, many of our cerebral palsy claims are made on a no win no fee arrangement. When you make a no win no fee claim, you won’t need to pay anything if your claim’s unsuccessful.

There’s nothing to pay upfront and if your claim is successful, most of our fees will be paid by your opponent.

To make a no win no fee claim, you’ll need to enter into an agreement that’s linked to a suitable insurance policy. We’ll talk you through the finer points of no win no fee and advise you on the best funding options for you before we start work.

Learn more about no win no fee.

Life with Mac quote image

It’s not an easy situation to deal with, but there is assistance out there which has a massive positive impact on not just Mac’s life but ours too – and we wanted to share that with others."

Valerie, client's mum

Frequently Asked Questions

Is cerebral palsy a lifelong disability?

Yes, cerebral palsy will affect a child for the rest of their life. It affects movements, coordination, and posture.

If you make a claim for compensation, we’ll make sure the amount you’re awarded will be enough to ensure your child will have the support and help they need for the rest of their life.

We’ll also connect you with our in-house Support and Rehabilitation team. This team of trained clinical experts can assess they type of help and rehabilitation your child would benefit from the most, until we have interim funds in place to set up a full rehabilitation package. We’ve also got connections with charities and support groups around the country, such as CPotential and Brainwave. We can use these connections to get you support that’s close by.

Can you sue the NHS for cerebral palsy?

Yes, if the medical negligence took place in an NHS setting, you could make a cerebral palsy claim against the NHS.

Even if you had private medical treatment, the doctor or healthcare provider may also work for the NHS.

What if I’m unsure whether it was medical negligence?

If you’re unsure about the cause of your child’s cerebral palsy but are concerned that it may have been caused by medical negligence, contact us for a free initial chat about your case. We’ll listen to the details about what happened and advise you if we can investigate it for you.

If we believe that you have a claim, we’ll review your child’s medical records, before asking a medical expert to provide their opinion on the likely cause of your child’s condition.

Read More FAQs

Related Information - Cerebral Palsy Claims

Public Law & Human Rights - our Public Law & Human Rights team can help you defend your rights
Birth Injury - we have a great deal of experience in birth injury claims
Court of Protection - we have the largest Court of Protection team in the UK, helping you protect your finances
Asset Management - our dedicated asset management team can advise you on how to take care of your compensation

Scottish Flag All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. The law relating to funding is different in Scotland and you will receive separate advice about what that means as well as a separate funding agreement.

 

About Irwin Mitchell

Founded in Sheffield in 1912, Irwin Mitchell has always been a bit different. Our advisers really get to know the people and business that we help.

We have offices around the UK so wherever you are, our experts can help.

Contact Us

Give us a ring to speak to a member of our team in the strictest confidence. Or you can fill out our contact form and we'll ring you back.

0370 1500 100

Our phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year

Get a call back

Fill in your details below and we'll be in touch as soon as possible

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.

  • Contact
  • 0370 1500 100
  • Contact Irwin Mitchell
  • Social Media
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • About Irwin Mitchell
  • About Us
  • Responsible Business
  • Careers
  • Business Management
  • Alumni Programme
  • Pay A Bill
  • Complaints Procedure
  • SRA Regulated
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy & Security
  • Hoaxes
  • Modern Slavery Act Statement
  • Manage Cookie Settings

© 2025  Irwin Mitchell LLP

Irwin Mitchell LLP is authorised & regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our Regulatory Information

Dialog that contains a form to request a callback.

Request A Callback

Enter your details below and a member of our team will contact you within 24 hours

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.