The Argus has reported that Sussex Hospitals have forked out millions of pounds in damages over the last decade after ‘staff negligence’ at childbirth led to cerebral palsy or brain damage.
Between 2010-2021, 30 Cerebral Palsy or brain damage-related cases were brought against NHS Trusts in Sussex. With an average of £3.5million per case, a total of £105 million was paid out in damages and legal fees. Cerebral Palsy in some cases can be caused by the brain temporarily being left with little oxygen. It can affect a person’s movement, speech and coordination in life.
Head of Clinical Negligence at Mayo Wynne Baxter law firm, Melanie Minter has said “Hypoxic brain injury during childbirth, which is where a baby’s brain gets starved of oxygen, is one of the main causes of cerebral palsy. In some cases, this cannot be prevented. However, negligent mistakes by healthcare professionals can lead to a child sustaining a brain injury. Errors can include birth injuries, failing to respond to the umbilical cord being wrapped around a baby’s neck, delayed delivery, and missing signs of foetal distress.”
Since 2010, £4.3 billion in damages and £613 million in legal fees have been paid out for 1441 Clinical Negligence cases.
Director of UH Sussex, Emma Chambers has stated that “Ultimately our focus is on developing our maternity services and improving the quality of care that we provide parents and babies.” UH Sussex was formed in 2021 and is an amalgamation of Western Sussex Hospitals, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals.
A ESHT (East Sussex Healthcare Trust) spokesperson has said “We take every opportunity to learn from our mistakes so we can improve the care we provide to our patients and their families. We also use the learning of others to improve the quality of our care, including implementing recommendations made from national reviews such as the report by Donna Ockenden for all trusts providing maternity services.”
It has been found that in the past 10 years, one in twelve Cerebral Palsy cases could have been avoided.
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