September 29th, 2009
A family has been awarded £410,000 in compensation after a woman died due to errors during a caesarean section.
Joanne Lockham, 45, had been admitted to Stoke Mandeville Hospital at Aylesbury in October 2007 and staff made the decision to give her a caesarean when her baby’s heartbeat dropped.
The patient was put under a general anaesthetic, but doctors mistakenly inserted the oxygen tube into her oesophagus and not her windpipe. She was deprived of oxygen for half an hour and her heart stopped a minute after the baby was born.
Ms Lockham’s life support was turned off two days later.
Her husband Peter decided to sue Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust after it admitted liability for the death and for "serious failings" in Ms Lockham’s care.
Mr Justice Burnett has now approved a compensation settlement of £410,000 for the loss and to cover the long-term care needs of the baby.
According to Babycentre.co.uk, approximately one in four pregnant women gives birth by caesarean every year.
Tags: Aylesbury, Babycentre, C Section, Caesarean Section, Doctors, General Anaesthetic, Half An Hour, Heart, Heartbeat, Hospitals Nhs Trust, Joanne, Long Term Care, Mr Justice, Oesophagus, Oxygen Tube, Pregnant Women
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
July 21st, 2009
A family is suing an NHS trust after their child was born with serious disabilities which were not picked up on in time for an abortion to be carried out.
Franchesca Parsons claims that Musgrove Park Hospital staff should have noticed little Rupert’s disabilities at the 20 week scan and that consequently, his was a wrongful birth because she would not have had him if she had known the extent of his problems.
She is claiming £1.5 million in interim compensation from Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust so that she can move Rupert, now five, into a specially adapted house.
Although the trust admits liability, it is disputing the amount of compensation, so a hearing is to go ahead at a later date.
According to BabyCentre.co.uk, pregnant women will be offered a detailed scan at between 18 and 22 weeks. This will check that the baby is developing normally.
Where problems are evident, an appointment for a scan with a foetal medicine specialist will usually be made within 72 hours and the options for the pregnancy can be discussed.
Tags: 5 Million, Abortion, Appointment, Babycentre, Disabilities, Extent, Foetal Medicine, Hospital Staff, Medicine, Medicine Specialist, Musgrove Park Hospital, Nhs Trust, Parsons, Pregnancy, Pregnant Women, Rupert, Somerset, Taunton, Wrongful Birth
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
July 16th, 2009
A couple are seeking legal action against an NHS trust after their baby was delivered so forcefully that part of his scalp detached.
Charlene Steel and Robin Heslop – the baby’s parents – claim they had pleaded with staff at Cumberland Infirmary to perform a Caesarean section following two hours of difficult labour, the News and Star reports.
However, medics continued to try to use a ventouse cap to pull the baby out.
When baby Bobbie was born, his head was bleeding and his parents fear he may have brain damage.
"The midwife was pulling so hard the veins on her arms stuck out," commented Mr Heslop.
Ms Steel believes that doctors should have recognised the traumatic labour and should have given her a Caesarean section. They have now taken legal action against North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust for negligence.
The trust declined to comment while the case goes through the appropriate legal channels.
According to BabyCentre.co.uk, rates of Caesarean delivery in the UK vary from place to place; in some locations it is as low as 13 to 15 per cent, while in others it may be 25 to 30 per cent.
Tags: Baby Bobbie, Babycentre, Brain Damage, Caesarean Delivery, Caesarean Section, Charlene, Cumberland, Cumberland Infirmary, Heslop, Hospitals Nhs Trust, Labour, Legal Channels, Medics, Midwife, Ms Steel, Negligence, North Cumbria, Star Reports, University Hospitals Nhs Trust, Veins
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
April 30th, 2009
A couple are suing the NHS for failing to pick up their son’s physical abnormalities in the womb and therefore robbing them of their chances to have an abortion.
The parents, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had a 20-week abnormality scan at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, but claim that the sonographer performed in too light-hearted a manner and did not properly look for problems.
The child was born with severe mental and physical disabilities, but the couple claim that had they found out about this at the scan beforehand, they would have aborted the foetus, the Daily Mail reports.
As a result, they are suing Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust for the ‘wrongful birth’ of their son, now 14, in the hope of being awarded a payout for his long-term care.
The trust denies liability and a hearing into the case is continuing.
According to BabyCentre.co.uk, about half of all major abnormalities will be seen on the 20-week scan. If a problem is found or suspected, an appointment will be made with a foetal medical specialist and options such as abortion or operations in the womb will be discussed.
Tags: Abortion, Appointment, Babycentre, Daily Mail, Foetus, Fylde, Hospitals Nhs Trust, Long Term Care, Mail Reports, Medical Specialist, Parents, Physical Abnormalities, Physical Disabilities, Sonographer, Suing The Nhs, Victoria Hospital, Womb, Wrongful Birth, Wyre
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
April 21st, 2009
Two parents from Stockport are seeking compensation from the NHS after their baby died during a failed breech birth.
Kate Share, 29, was not diagnosed with a breech birth until she was in the birthing pool and staff at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport decided to take a ‘hands-off’ approach, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Obstetrician Dr Amit Majumdar told a midwife who tried to deliver the baby’s head to stop and wait.
Baby Alfie died from suffocation on the resuscitation table 23 minutes after he was born.
Ms Share and her partner Richard Leeming have launched legal action against Stockport NHS Trust for negligence after a coroner ruled that staff should have acted sooner.
"We want to ensure that lessons are learnt and that no other parents have to endure the pain we have had to go through," said Mr Leeming.
According to BabyCentre.co.uk, only around 0.4 per cent of all breech births now occur naturally in England, with most staff advising a Caesarean section.
Tags: Alfie, Amit, Baby Parents, Babycentre, Birth Parents, Birthing Pool, Breech Birth, Breech Births, Caesarean Section, Coroner, Leeming, Majumdar, Manchester Evening News, Midwife, Negligence, News Reports, Nhs Trust, Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport, Suffocation
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
