Medical Negligence Claims 

Pregnancy, Birth and Gynaecology Injury Claims 

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Our expert medical negligence lawyers will handle your claim at no cost to you* and in the vast majority of cases you will receive 100% of your compensation**.

Expertise And Understanding From Irwin Mitchell

Pregnancy and childbirth are happy times for the vast majority of families. Unfortunately things can occasionally go wrong with life-changing consequences for both mothers and babies.

If you believe that you or your child have suffered an injury during pregnancy, childbirth or gynaecology procedures, our specialist solicitors could help you not only to make a claim for compensation but also to cope with your new circumstances.

At Irwin Mitchell we are renowned for our understanding of the issues affecting you and your family due to injuries arising from pregnancy, childbirth and gynaecology treatments, and we know what positive action to take to make a difference to your birth injury claim.

Our lawyers offer the highest level of professionalism and expertise, combined with dedication and sensitivity.

Above all, we put you first.

Handling Pregnancy, Birth And Gynaecology Injury Claims With Expertise And Sensitivity

Mistakes made during ante-natal care and birth can lead to serious problems - and in some cases, even the death of the baby. There can also be failure to detect serious abnormalities of the unborn baby despite scanning - plus there may be risk of suffering through damage from medical instruments, anaesthetics or inadequate suturing. 

Other injuries can arise from different types of gynaecological treatment, including contraceptive procedures, termination of pregnancy and surgery.

A case for compensation can also arise in ‘wrongful birth’ cases, where a failed sterilisation or other contraceptive procedure results in a baby being conceived. Side-effects relating to injected hormone contraceptives may also occur - and where contraceptive devices are fitted or termination occurs, there may be perforation of internal organs.

Gynaecological surgeries that can lead to injuries through incompetence or negligence include procedures such as:

  • Total abdominal hysterectomy
  • Laparoscopic sterilisation
  • Pelvic floor repairs
  • Dilatation and Curettage (D&C)

In some cases failure to diagnose certain conditions, such as cervical cancer, can have tragic consequences.

Proven Expertise In Cases Involving Pregnancy, Birth And Gynaecology Injuries

Irwin Mitchell is one of the largest and most experienced law firms in the country and our team includes many of the country’s finest specialist lawyers. They work in highly focused teams, offering the best legal expertise when recovering compensation in cases involving pregnancy, childbirth and gynaecology injuries.

Irwin Mitchell’s Commitment To Pregnancy, Birth And Gynaecology Injuries Cases

Irwin Mitchell’s first commitment is to you, and to assisting you to recover appropriate birth injury compensation.

Our solicitors have a long history of campaigning with leading organisations in numerous medical and clinical negligence fields. Together with those organisations we seek improvements in health and safety, prevent accident and injury where possible, and improve the quality of life and levels of compensation for those who have suffered injury.

We have also pursued many leading legal cases in order to improve the prospects of success of compensation recovery for various forms of medical and clinical negligence, and to ensure that fairer compensation is awarded.


The above information relates to the law and procedures in England and Wales.

* Subject to entering a ‘No Win, No Fee’ agreement with us and complying with its terms.

** Does not apply to group actions, criminal injuries or accidents and illnesses outside England and Wales and is subject to compliance with the terms of your funding arrangements.

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.



Negligent Care During Childbirth Results In Babies Death

Our client Ellen, was due to give birth on 4 October 2007.  Her pregnancy had progressed without concern when her contracts started on 1 October 2007.  She was admitted to Calderdale Royal Infirmary where her waters broke at around 5.30pm the following day.

During the internal examination, the midwife felt what appeared to be a tight band of muscle around the uterus.  The midwife request a second opinion from the Registrar but no abnormality was noted.  As delivery progress was still minimal they decided to speed up the labour by using Syntocinon (an inducing agent).
 
Shortly after midnight on 3 October the Midwife was concerned with the foetal monitoring results and requested Registrar to review Ellen’s situation. The registrar carried out another examination at 1.00am the Registrar at which point it was first identified that Ellen had abnormal anatomy in the form of a septum in the vagina.  The Registrar discussed delivery options with the Consultant on call, the Consultant advised not to use forceps but did not recommend that a Caesarean section should be performed.
 
At about 2.30am Ellen was fully dilated and told to start pushing.  After over an hour to trying, she was taken to theatre where the delivery team tried to delivery her baby via the Vontouse method (a vacuum device used to assist the delivery).  When this was still not successful, a Caesarean Section took place at about 4.20am
 
The baby was born at 4.25am, at birth Ellen’s baby boy was pale and limp but he did make a small gasp.  The delivery team attempted to resuscitate the baby but it ineffective and after thirty minutes he was pronounced dead.  During the post mortem, it was reported that the cause of death was due to a subdural haemorrhage which was caused by a lack of oxygen around the time of delivery.
 
Margaret Ryan from our Clinical Negligence team in Leeds investigated the claim against Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust for the alleged substandard obstetric care. We alleged that the hospital staff delayed in recognising that Ellen never could have delivered her baby naturally because of her abnormal anatomy, this delayed the Caesarean section being performed which ultimately caused the baby to suffer from lack of oxygen and brain damage.

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust admitted that the care Ellen had received had been negligent and that with appropriate care her baby’s death could have been avoided.  Ellen and her husband were compensated for the psychiatric injury they sustained surrounding the death of their child, for their loss of earnings, funeral expenses and for the pain and suffering that their baby endured during the delivery.
 
Margaret Ryan of the Clinical Negligence team in Leeds represented Ellen helped her secure £50,000 in an out of court settlement.  Margaret said “this is an extremely sad case involving the death of a new born baby shortly after his birth due to severe brain damage. What was truly upsetting for the family is that this devastating outcome would have been avoided had the hospital simply not delayed with carrying out a caesarean section. No amount of compensation will bring their baby back but the apology from the hospital goes some way towards giving them closure to this sad event”.

We have lawyers with the expertise and experience needed to help you with your claim. Choose from the list below to learn more about our experts in this area.

Name Location Job Title Telephone
David Body Sheffield Partner 0870 1500 100
Sara Burns Birmingham Partner 0870 1500 100
Jennifer Cawthorne Manchester Partner 0870 1500 100
Ian Christian London Partner 0870 1500 100
Alison Eddy London Partner 020 7421 3887
Auriana Griffiths London Partner 0870 1500 100
Lisa Jordan Birmingham Partner 0870 1500 100
Angela Kirtley Newcastle Partner 0191 279 0127
Julie Lewis Bristol Partner 0870 1500 100
Mandy Luckman Birmingham Partner 0870 1500 100
Rachelle Mahapatra Leeds Partner 0870 1500 100
Tom Mather Sheffield Partner 0870 1500 100
Suzanne Munroe Sheffield Partner 0870 1500 100
Jonathan Peacock Birmingham, Bristol Partner 0870 1500 100
Elaine Russell Glasgow Partner 0870 1500 100
Lindsay Wise Manchester Partner 0161 838 3047
Jane Wright Leeds, Sheffield Partner 0870 1500 100
Tim Annett Sheffield Associate 0870 1500 100
Victoria Blankstone Birmingham Associate 0870 1500 100
Tim Deeming Birmingham Associate 0870 1500 100
Del Jones Sheffield Associate 0870 1500 100
Sarah Rowland Sheffield Associate 0870 1500 100
Caroline Stokes Birmingham Associate 0870 1500 100
Tracey Brown Glasgow Solicitor 0870 1500 100
Ruth Moore Sheffield Other Legal Expert 0870 1500 100

Guidance With Strength And Sensitivity

We understand that contacting a lawyer might seem like a big step - especially if you have not done so before and we have therefore made it easy for you to contact us for free initial advice about your claim.

At Irwin Mitchell we understand the real impact of personal injury. Our team of specialists have the skills and experience to give you clear advice about the chances of pursuing a successful claim and to guide you through the claims process. You can then decide if you want us to pursue your claim on your behalf.

We are renowned for our understanding of the issues affecting you and your family, and we know what positive action to take to make a difference.

At Irwin Mitchell we will fight fearlessly to give you the greatest chance of winning your case, with the best possible outcome, and we will support you every step of the way.

Awards and accreditations

Investors In People     Action Against Medical Accidents - Clinical Negligence SpecialistsYorkshire Lawyer Awards Winner 2009Stonewall 2011Stonewall Star Performer 2011Rehabilitation First Awards 2011 The Law Society Personal Injury AccreditationChild Brain Injury Trust The Law Society Clinical Negligence Accreditation ISO SGS 27001 AccreditationISO 9001:2008 AccreditationSGS ISO 14001 with UKASHeadway 2011A conformance icon, W3C-WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0