Spina Bifida Negligence Claims

If your child has been born with spina bifida, our medical negligence solicitors understand that you’ll be concerned about their future. We may be able to help you claim compensation cover your child’s medical and care needs and give them the best possible quality of life for the future.

Spina bifida is a birth defect affecting a baby’s spine that can cause weakness or paralysis in the legs along with other symptoms such as incontinence. It can sometimes be detected during the mid-pregnancy anomaly scan 18-21 weeks into a pregnancy.

If your baby has unexpectedly been born with spina bifida, it may be a sign that more could have been done by medical staff to identify this during your pregnancy. Sometimes further complications can occur as a result of spina bifida and you may have concerns that they were not treated properly.

We may be able to help you claim compensation if staff:

Failed to detect your child’s spina bifida in antenatal checks
Failed to diagnose your child’s spina bifida at or around the time of delivery
Failed to diagnose and treat fluid on the brain (hydrocephalus), a possible complication of spina bifida
Failed to manage complications arising from surgery for spina bifida or the management of a shunt to drain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fluid.

We’ll help you get to the bottom of what caused your child’s condition with a thorough investigation into the care you and your child have received. If we find evidence of medical negligence, we’ll fight to get you the compensation, explanation, and apology you deserve.

Compensation can pay for a range of therapies and adaptive equipment to help your child get the most out of life. Our client liaison managers will help you access the very best support both during and after your claim.

If you’ve had to stop work to care for your child, a compensation claim could also replace any lost income or help you hire a professional carer.

Our team of specialist medical negligence solicitors have a wealth of experience with spina bifida claims and have helped many families in your situation. We’re proud to be on the legal panel of Shine, the UK’s spina bifida and hydrocephalus charity. That means we’re one of their recommended law firms for spina bifida and hydrocephalus claims.

We understand what you’re going through and have the experience, connections, and resources to help. We know that you don’t need any more worries at the moment, and can offer a No Win No Fee agreement so there’s no financial risk to you* when starting a claim.

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Guy Forster Partner Meet the team

Spina Bifida Claims - More Information

They were always there to answer my questions and queries when I was at my most vulnerable and they persevered to obtain the best possible result."

Lisa, client

Case Study – Leo’s Story

“We have shown him videos of Paralympians to prove that there are so many different people in the world with many different disabilities, and the main thing in life is not to let it hold you back from your dreams and what you want to achieve. We are devoted to him and are determined to make sure he has the best life possible.” - Faye, Leo's mum

“Leo hasn’t had the easiest of starts to life, and he’s had to come to terms with what his spina bifida means for his future. We hope that this settlement will make life a little easier for Leo and his family by helping to fund his care, therapy and equipment needs.” - Guy Forster, Partner

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Spina Bifida?

Spina bifida is a birth defect where a baby’s spine and spinal cord don’t develop properly in the first few weeks of growth in the womb. It affects roughly six babies in every 10,000.

Doctor’s don’t know exactly what causes spina bifida. However, certain factors can increase the risk of the condition, including a lack of folic acid during pregnancy, a family history of spina bifida, and certain medicines.

There are different types of spina bifida of varying severities. The most severe is myelomeningocele, where there is a gap in the baby’s spine through which the spinal cord pushes out. The spine can be closed by surgery, but damage to the nervous system will usually still happen.

Symptoms of spina bifida can include:

Weakness, loss of sensation, or paralysis in the legs
Bowel or urinary incontinence
Build-up of fluid on the brain (hydrocephalus) and associated brain damage.

What If My Doctor Failed To Diagnose Spina Bifida?

Because screening tests don’t provide a definite answer, it’s important that you’re then referred for further investigations if your baby is considered at risk of a birth defect like spina bifida.

If those investigations were not properly carried out, the consequences could be severe and you may have a claim for medical negligence.

If your child is born with spina bifida after being given the all-clear, we may be able to help you make a wrongful birth claim.

What Can Compensation Pay For?

Our solicitors will tirelessly pursue the funds you need for a good quality of life. We’ll make sure that your compensation takes into account all of your family’s requirements, both present and future. It can help pay for the extra costs associated with your child’s disability, such as:

Care and medical treatment
Occupational therapy
Speech and language therapy
Education needs
Accommodation needs
Medical treatment

We understand what an emotional and difficult decision it is to make a wrongful birth claim, so you can rest assured that we’ll treat your case with the sensitivity it deserves.

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