Care And Rehabilitation Package Secured For Wakefield Mother After Sub-Standard Care At Pinderfields Hospital

The dedicated family of a young mother who suffered a catastrophic brain injury following childbirth have spoken of their ‘huge relief’ after Irwin Mitchell secured their daughter a lifetime care and rehabilitation package approved by Mr Justice Males at Leeds High Court today (8 November).

Lucy Cookson, 25, from Wakefield lost six pints of blood when she suffered a massive haemorrhage following the birth of her daughter Millie at Pinderfield’s Hospital in Wakefield on New Year’s Eve 2013.

She was rushed to theatre and underwent surgery under a spinal anaesthetic, instead of a general anaesthetic, and suffered a cardiac arrest during the procedure.

The cardiac arrest led to her brain being starved of oxygen and she was left in a coma. It is not clear when she started to regain consciousness but by the end of January 2014, she started to move her head and right arm. Later that year she started to vocalise. More recently her therapists believe that she is emerging and has started to consistently respond to questions.

Lucy is currently unable to walk or talk properly and relies on her family and carers for help and support for everyday tasks.

Her husband Adam and parents Bev and Andrew Schofield instructed medical negligence experts at Irwin Mitchell to investigate whether more could have been done by staff at Pinderfields Hospital to help her.

The experts have now secured Lucy a lifetime care and rehabilitation package from the Mid-Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which will provide her with the funds she requires for the long-term care she will need when she leaves Dearnevale Rehabilitation Unit.

The Trust admitted that Lucy was not monitored correctly during her pregnancy and that there was a lack of senior staff involvement when Lucy suffered the post-partum haemorrhage.

It also confirmed that there was a failure to appreciate Lucy’s cardiovascular instability before giving her a spinal anaesthetic and that a general anaesthetic should have been used.

Following the birth of Millie and the complications Lucy suffered, the NHS Trust conducted a Serious Untoward Incident Report which declared the severity of Lucy’s care as causing  ‘very severe harm’ and drew up a set of 11 recommendations for maternity staff to follow to prevent a repeat incident from occurring.

The Trust’s investigations highlighted a catalogue of errors by staff in that they:

• Failed to recognise and manage as protocol the severity of Lucy’s pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure) and HELLP syndrome (elevated liver enzymes and low blood cells count);

• Staff shortages and poor communication meant that Lucy was sent to theatre following the haemorrhage which may not have been necessary;

• Lucy was given a spinal anaesthetic before theatre which was not appropriate given her condition and led to her suffering the cardiac arrest which caused her brain to be starved of oxygen.

Lucy’s family, backed by their legal team, say more needs to be done to improve maternity services across the UK by increasing resource in wards so every mum-to-be has a dedicated specialist support team on hand if needed.

Rachelle Mahapatra, a Partner and expert medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said:

Expert Opinion

“This is a truly tragic case that has left a young mum with devastating, permanent brain damage. Millie and Lucy spend a lot of time together, seeing each other every day, but she is unable to care for her daughter as she would have done.

“This has also had a huge effect on the rest of her family, her husband Adam and her parents and sister. The intention is for Lucy’s house to be adapted so that she can come home full time.

“Lucy’s parents are also absolutely devastated by what happened to their daughter and were relieved that the Hospital finally accepted that they were responsible. It cannot change anything, but at least they now have the reassurance that Lucy will receive the correct level of care and support for the rest of her life.

“We are glad to have secured Lucy a substantial settlement from the Trust that will provide for her immediate and future needs, including providing her with access to specialist care and rehabilitation services to help with any possible recovery and provide the best quality of life possible.

“Through our work we continue to see mothers and babies suffering unnecessary injuries as a result of a lack of resource or insufficient experience and training. Lessons must be learnt from any failings identified in individual cases and shared throughout the NHS to ensure patient safety is improved and the same mistakes are not repeated.” Rachelle Mahapatra - Partner

Bev, 52, said: “As a family we are still shell-shocked and heartbroken at what has happened to Lucy and still trying to come to terms with what the future holds for Lucy and the rest of the family.

“Lucy was so excited about the prospect of being a mother and they both looked forward to being parents for the first time. Mille and Lucy have a close and loving relationship, but it is heartbreaking that Lucy can’t do the things that she would have done with Millie. To know that mistakes after Millie’s birth and if the complications had been managed properly that Lucy would have avoided the damage, is devastating.

“Lucy spends four days a week at home and will come home permanently when the house is adapted and live with us and Mille.

“It’s hard not to be angry about the findings of the Trust’s internal investigation as it is clear more could have been done to prevent the brain damage she suffered. We wanted accountability and transparency from the Trust about exactly what happened which is why we instructed our legal team at Irwin Mitchell.

“The settlement we have now received will ensure that Lucy continues to access to the specialist lifelong care, facilities and equipment she will need in the future.

“You never expect this sort of thing to happen during childbirth nowadays but Lucy is proof that it does. We have one hundred ‘what ifs’ about what more could have been done for her but we believe if maternity staff had more support and better training in crisis situations they would be better placed to react and provide the best possible care.

“We believe more needs to be done in improving services so no one else has to go through the same horrific ordeal and is left in the impossible situation we now face.”

If you or your child have been injured due to medical negligence during pregnancy or a gynaecological procedure our clinical negligence solicitors could help you to claim compensation. Visit our Pregnancy & Gynaecology Injury Claims for more information.