The arrival of a new baby is an exciting event in every family, but pregnancy is a difficult experience for many women as the symptoms alone can be debilitating. When you add on any complications or issues, then it can quickly turn into a complex medical emergency.
Maternity care in the UK refers to the health services provided to women, babies and families throughout the pregnancy, birth and up to 6 weeks after the birth. Unfortunately, the care you receive can fall below the accepted standard and become negligence.
What is maternity negligence?
Maternity negligence is a broad term for when medical professionals do not meet the standards of care during pregnancy, birth or aftercare. This lack of appropriate care can cause injury to either the mother, baby or even both.
Inadequate care means that those affected may be entitled to make a medical negligence claim. If this is something that you feel you have suffered then be sure to contact medical negligence claim solicitors for expert advice and guidance.
Common types of maternity negligence
Insufficient maternity care can begin long before the baby is born. There are conditions in pregnancy that, if left untreated, can cause harm to mother and baby. Hyperemesis Gravidarum, for example, is a severe vomiting condition that can lead to dehydration, malnourishment and severe weight loss. If left untreated it can cause irreparable damage to the mother’s organs and mental health.
During delivery, many different things need to be carefully monitored in case intervention is needed. There are situations where a C-section is required. If this is not recognised in a timely manner, harm can come to both the baby and the mother. If a C-section is performed, then the mother should be fully informed of the procedure itself and of any risks that may occur.
Once the baby is born, different risks arise such as jaundice for the baby and uterine and vaginal tears for the mother. If any of these things occur the patient should be closely monitored to ensure that they are healing correctly.
How concerning is it?
Between 2021 and 2022, medical negligence claims relating to maternity care cost the NHS £8.2 billion whereas the service spent £3 billion on the care services it supplied. This highlights how costly maternity care negligence can be to the healthcare system. This will have a knock-on effect for taxpayers and NHS users, as there will be less funding available for other areas which could make wait times even longer.
The Care Quality Commission reports that there is a concern about the number of maternity services that fall below standards. 10% of all services have been inspected and deemed inadequate which is higher than the 6% last year. Similarly, 39% require improvement, but in 2022 it was 33%. On the other end of the scale, in 2022 56% of services were rated as good but there has been a drop this year to 47%.
