Stillbirth Medical Negligence Compensation Claims.

Losing a baby to stillbirth can have a serious and lasting psychological impact on parents, which can be made worse in instances where the death of a baby could have been prevented through due diligence during pregnancy and labour by the midwives, obstetricians, and any other medical staff involved in the care of mother and baby.

In some cases, parents may have attended hospital with concerns for their unborn child, such as experiencing reduced fetal movements, and they may find that their worries were not taken seriously enough. If this is the case and it results in a stillbirth, parents can feel an overwhelming sense of guilt that they could have done more to prevent the death of their baby.

Pursuing a compensation claim for medical negligence resulting in a stillbirth can help parents to process what has happened and can aid them in their grief. It can help parents to find out what caused the stillbirth, ensure they get justice for their baby, and also help to prevent the same thing from happening to another family in the future.

Our compassionate and dedicated solicitors are on your team, we will work closely with you, taking the time to get to know you and understand your circumstances in order to provide you with clear advice of your options.

Yes, you can do both. If you wish to make a complaint against the NHS you need to do so within 12 months of the incident. After submitting your complaint, the NHS will respond by outlining how they intend to investigate the matter and provide you with a timescale in which you can expect a formal response from them.

In addition to making an NHS complaint, you can also pursue a compensation claim for the negligent treatment you have experienced. In many cases, following the complaints procedure can support your legal claim as an investigation will be opened by the NHS which can then be used as evidence in support of your stillbirth compensation claim.

When you contact us regarding a potential medical negligence claim, we will arrange for a member of our team to speak to you, ensuring they listen to your story, ask any relevant questions, and take the time to understand what you are going through. From there, we will then assess all the information you have provided us with, before advising you on the next steps that need to be taken.

It can help your claim if you are able to collect any supporting evidence, such as hospital reports, medical records, statements from medical professionals, your maternity and delivery notes, and anything else that may be relevant to your case. The more evidence and information you are able to provide us with, the faster we can assess your claim and help you in seeking justice for you and your family.

The amount of compensation you could be awarded will vary depending on your individual circumstances and the extent of the physical and mental suffering you have experienced or may be likely to experience in the future.

When assessing your claim, the following aspects will be taken into account:

• Loss of earnings for any time taken off work
• Predicted future financial loss, including lost income
• Funeral expenses
• Childcare costs for any other children you may have
• Costs for therapy, counselling, and psychiatric treatment
• Costs incurred for care and support
• Travel costs to and from therapy sessions
• Short and long-term emotional pain and distress

Our team of medical negligence lawyers are highly experienced in claims of this nature, and we can offer advice throughout your claim to give you some idea of the projected amount of compensation that you may be likely to receive.

The timeframe in which to make a claim is typically three years from the date that the negligent care occurred, or from the date on which you first discovered that your stillbirth was as a direct result of clinical negligence. The earlier you are able to contact us, the more time we will have in which to build your case and achieve the best possible outcome for you. If you have any concerns, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.

In line with the law in England and Wales, coroners don’t typically have the jurisdiction to investigate stillbirths, so an inquest may not need to take place. A review into how the stillbirth happened will usually be conducted by the NHS Trust responsible for your care. In instances where a review is not carried out, or the review is inadequate, we can request on your behalf that a formal inquest take place if there is reason to suspect that the death was “unnatural” and preventable. If this is the case, we can assist with representation at the inquest.

We understand how harrowing the process can be for grieving parents, and we handle each case with compassion, ensuring your mental wellbeing is not compromised in the pursuit for justice.