Birth injury claims: a complex area of law.
Our medical negligence lawyers have been fighting for the rights of medical negligence victims for years and we have represented victims – both mother and infant – in birth injury cases where the NHS standards of care have fallen significantly short.
In the wake of the Morecambe Bay NHS investigation, it’s important that more is done to identify concerns and patterns from complaints to stop repeat incidents.
Furness Maternity Ward – what more could have been done?
It can be quite commonplace for people to be concerned that they have been let down by the NHS in an era of underfunding and continual tightening of the public purse. The NHS is a real batting ball for the political parties in the run up to this year’s general election and we have witnessed our fair share of scandals over the last few decades.
Our medical negligence lawyers have been at the heart of many such incidents and we continue to fight for the rights of victims who have been let down by the NHS, but what more could have been done to have prevented the terrible tragedies that resulted in dozens of infant deaths and several mother deaths at the Furness Maternity Ward?
With more than 20 reported incidents in over a decade, the NHS had been justifiably criticised in its failure to properly monitor or act on situations that had arisen. Whilst the investigations have revealed that the litany of errors are largely the result of poor management and significant failures of the staff on the ward, the question as to how the trends were not identified earlier remain a concern.
Whilst the investigation doesn’t necessarily suggest a cover up, it is clear that intervention could and should have been initiated at a much earlier date.
What steps are being taken to prevent a repeat of this tragedy?
As well as action at the Furness Ward from the General Medical Council involving the staff in question, a nationwide review of maternity care is taking place.
Trends and statistics are a powerful tool in many organisational situations to look out for when failures may be occurring so that intervention can be initiated at the earliest opportunity. Whilst we must remember to praise those hard working individuals in the NHS who are often fighting a battle under tight budget constraints, the duty of care to ensure patients are not harmed or put at risk must always be the upmost priority.
We take on and succeed with large numbers of medical negligence claims, and some of the obvious circumstances where people are let down are occasionally astounding. Medical negligence is a complex are of law and we advise you speak to our team for help and advice as a firm of lawyers with expertise in fighting for the rights of people let down by the health service.
