Supporting Bereaved Parents: Stillbirth Compensation Following Medical Negligence (21 June 2024)

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Duncan Lewis & Co Solicitors

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Duncan Lewis Solicitors is an award-winning and Times 200 ranked law firm offering expert services in 25 fields, including family law, business immigration, high net divorce, personal injury, commercial litigation, property law, motoring, education and employment.
Stillbirths can have various causes, with some due to substandard medical care. Families affected by medical negligence may be entitled to compensation. Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence solicitors provide expert, empathetic advice for pursuing claims.
UK Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration
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There are many causes of stillbirths, and not all cases can be prevented. A large number of stillbirths occur in seemingly healthy babies with no identifiable cause, despite optimal care.

Unfortunately, some stillbirths are avoidable and can result from substandard medical care during pregnancy and birth. If poor medical care contributed to the death of your baby, you could be entitled to compensation. Pursuing a claim where you believe medical negligence contributed to the tragedy can help ensure that grieving families receive the answers, compensation and support that they deserve.

Losing a child to stillbirth is devastating, and deciding to make a compensation claim at what should be the happiest moment of your life is not something that any parent anticipates. However, if you believe that your baby was stillborn due to failures in the care that you received during pregnancy and delivery, Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence solicitors are here to advise families with empathy and understanding.

In some instances of stillbirth, it is possible that failures in medical care contributed to the tragedy

Some examples of poor medical care include:

  • A failure to carry out or properly interpret a CTG
  • A failure to adequately monitor a baby and/or mother during pregnancy and/or labour
  • A failure to recognise signs and symptoms of concern during pregnancy and/or labour
  • A delay or failure to perform an emergency caesarean section
  • A failure to refer to a Consultant during antenatal care

Stillbirth cases can be complex and it is important that you have a highly experienced solicitor who you can trust. Clinical negligence solicitor Amy Bennett understands how devastating it can be to lose a child. As such, Amy is dedicated to providing sensitive and supportive advice to ensure that you receive the best possible outcome:

"My eldest daughter was stillborn a week before her due date on 30 June 2012. As a result of this experience, I decided to focus my area of specialisation on assisting families who have suffered a stillbirth or neonatal death as a result of medical negligence. The primary reason behind my decision was a passion and drive to help bereaved parents through the litigation process. I also wanted to help to make change in the hope that it spared others from going through the pain of losing a child.

I have personally assisted numerous families whose precious babies have died as a result of the mistakes of health professionals. I work with a wonderful team of medical experts and in particular, psychiatrists who specialise in perinatal psychiatry. These experts all help to ensure that my clients' heal mentally as best as they are able from the devastation of losing their babies."

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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