Birth Injury Claims Solicitors

When you contact us, we’ll set up a free initial consultation to discuss your case.

If you choose to go forward with us, we’ll investigate your case in detail, gathering evidence from independent medical professionals who will work out what care you should have received and what your future treatment needs will be.

We’ll then contact those responsible for your negligent treatment to determine if they accept the blame for you or your child’s birth injury. If they accept responsibility, we’ll secure interim compensation payments.

We’ll seek to settle claims out of court, keeping your claim as short as we can, but we may progress to court proceedings to get the best outcome and answers for you and your family. We have done this successfully for many families who were searching for explanations, not only for themselves, but also to ensure that others won’t have to go through what they went through.

Even when trial dates have been set, claims are still often settled before reaching court. If your claim does need to go to court, we’ll be there to help you every step of the way, talking you through what will happen, so you feel supported.

You can start a claim on behalf of your child any time before their 18th birthday. From 18, they have three years to make a claim (until they turn 21).

If you’re claiming for injuries you’ve sustained during labour, it’s important to know you have three years from the date of the negligence to start a claim. Clients without capacity have no limitation.

If you’re claiming for a child who has sadly passed away because of a birth injury, you have three years to make a claim from the date of death.

We’ll most likely take your case on a no win no fee basis. This means you’ll only pay legal costs if you receive compensation and most of those costs will be covered by your opponent. If your claim is unsuccessful, you won’t have to pay anything. We'll make sure you're fully aware of all funding options before we start working for you.

Birth injuries can be caused by mistakes made by hospital staff, including:

• Missing signs of distress in the baby such as an abnormal heartbeat, low blood sugar levels, or high bilirubin level (failure to act on signs of jaundice)
• Failing to check medical records or history
• Delays in diagnosis or treatment
• Delivering the baby too late
• Attempting delivery when the baby’s shoulder is stuck
• Any other oversight that puts your baby at risk.

To make a successful compensation claim, we’ll need to prove a direct link between medical negligence and your baby’s injury.

Our solicitors have years of experience investigating claims like this and know how to get expert evidence to give your case the best chance of success.

You may be able to make a birth injury claim if you or your child were harmed because a medical professional failed to provide the level of care that would reasonably be expected. This is known as medical negligence. 

You might have grounds to claim if any of the following apply:

• Avoidable injuries occurred during pregnancy, labour, or shortly after birth
• A healthcare professional made an error that caused or worsened the injury
• You were not properly informed of risks or treatment options.

If you’re unsure whether what happened amounts to negligence, our team of birth injury solicitors can help you understand your position. We’ll listen to what happened, answer your questions, and help you understand whether you may have grounds to claim.

Pregnancy and childbirth can be emotional and uncertain times, and it’s completely natural to expect safe, attentive care for both you and your child.

Any injury to a child that happens immediately before, during, or after delivery is a birth injury. It’s different to a birth defect, which is when damage is caused while the foetus is still in the womb. While bruising and swelling can happen, more severe injuries can have lifelong effects.

If something goes wrong and a mistake caused harm to you or your child, you might be able to claim for compensation. Our knowledgeable team can help you do this. We’ll also advocate for you to get any ongoing support you or your child need as a result of a birth injury.

Every claim is different, which means we can’t predict exactly how much compensation you or your child might receive. There are several factors that are considered when carefully calculating the needs of you and your child, and the amount of compensation you or your child required. These are:

• Your child’s care needs
• The severity and extent of their injury
• The costs of medical treatment, rehabilitation, care support and home adaptations that may be needed
• Time taken off work or if you’re no longer able to work
• Travel costs to medical appointments.

Our birth injury solicitors aim to secure you a settlement that provides a full care package for your child, and if needed, for their lifetime.

We’ll make sure that their best interests are always put first, and we can help you manage your compensation award if you appoint Irwin Mitchell Trust Corporation (IMTC) as deputy.

Our team have been trusted by families across the UK to achieve a compensation settlement that provides practical and financial support for their family.

We have three times more Band 1 Chambers & Partners regional rankings across England and Wales than any other firm. This makes us the leading medical negligence law firm in the UK.

If your child’s injury is severe or the cause is complex, you can rely on us as we handle more complex Medical Negligence High Court cases than any other UK law firm.

Some of our past landmark victories and campaigns have helped shape legislation that has gone on to protect other parents and babies.

In addition to hands-on support from your legal expert, you’ll also have free access to our Support and Rehabilitation Coordinators who can ensure you’re supported locally too.

We’re also proud to work with several longstanding and trusted charity partners who can provide wider support to you and your family:

• AvMA
• Birthrights
• Brainwave
• CPotential
• Group B Strep Support
• Make Birth Better
• Pace Centre
• Peeps
• Twins Trust
• WellChild.