Legal Experts Call For Better Care For Pregnant Women

Medical negligence specialists have backed a report issued by experts from Leicester outlining vital measures hospitals must take to reduce the numbers of stillbirths.

Following the investigation into 133 cases of stillbirth which occurred in the UK, in 2013, experts from law firm Irwin Mitchell have called on the Government and NHS to provide better care for mums-to-be and their babies.

The study found national guidelines were not being followed by hospitals in most cases and highlighted "missed opportunities" which could have potentially saved babies' lives.

A team of academics, clinicians and charity representatives, called MBRRACE-UK, looked at pregnancy notes from the cases and reviewed 85 under close scrutiny to see how care for pregnant women could be improved.

The study revealed that two-thirds of women at risk of developing diabetes in pregnancy missed the opportunity to be closely monitored because they were not offered testing.

Additionally, national guidance for screening and monitoring growth of the baby was not followed for two-thirds of the cases and almost half the women had contacted their maternity unit concerned about their baby's movements.

Alarmingly in half of these tragic cases opportunities were missed to save the baby.

Professor Elizabeth Draper, Professor of perinatal and paediatric epidemiology at the University of Leicester, said: "The panel identified a number of areas where improvements of care are required which could lead to an overall reduction in this type of stillbirth.

"However, not all findings were negative. We found examples of excellent bereavement care where midwives had provided long-term support for families in a way that surpassed normal expectations, high-quality interpreter services when these were needed, as well as a high standard of post mortem examinations."

Julianne Moore, an expert medical negligence solicitor said it was vital that NHS Trusts across the country took immediate action to reduce these figures and improve care.

If you or your child have suffered a birth injury due to medical negligence, our medical negligence solicitors could help you claim compensation. See our Birth Injury Claims page for more information.