Medical Negligence Lawyers Represent Families Affected By Maternity Failings

Specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell representing families affected by maternity failings in East Kent are calling for any improvements identified in an upcoming report to be implemented without delay.

Dr Bill Kirkup CBE has been leading an investigation into the management, delivery and care provided by the maternity and neonatal services of East Kent University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust since 2009.

The full review report is due to be published on 19 October.

Medical negligence lawyers supporting families affected by maternity care failings

Medical negligence experts at Irwin Mitchell represent a number of families who have been affected by the maternity failings at East Kent as well as other NHS trusts across the country. The law firm is campaigning to improve maternity services across the country and has also contributed to the recent Health Committee’s Maternity Safety Call for Evidence.

The specialist lawyers are now urging for recommendations in the report to be acted upon and implemented as soon as possible to help improve patient safety.

Expert Opinion

“We continue to be concerned by the failings in maternity care across various NHS Trusts, including East Kent.

“Through our work, we come across many people who suffer devastating outcomes when things go wrong. We help families obtain answers, and an admission of liability and an apology where possible. In some cases this will be following the death of a baby, or in other cases, where a child has suffered an avoidable brain injury at birth, and as a result will have extensive care needs for the rest of their life.

“Sadly, this latest review is not an isolated incident, with other maternity scandals such as Morecambe Bay and Shrewsbury and Telford highlighting the need for improvements to the likes of staffing levels, training and birthing procedures. Too many maternity reviews have highlighted similar issues across the country and it’s crucial that changes are made to prevent more heartache for families in future.

“My experience from maternity cases is that we often see general themes. These include mums not being appropriately counselled and advised of the risks in terms of timing of delivery, and where delivery ought to have taken place earlier due to the baby showing signs of distress, which would in some cases have avoided the devastating outcomes for our clients. While compensation will help provide families with the specialist care and support they need ,it sadly cannot turn the clock back.

“It’s therefore vital that any recommendations made in the latest review are addressed as soon as possible to improve patient safety. In the meantime, we’ll continue to support our clients at this emotional and distressing time.” Anita Jewitt

East Kent Hospitals Kirkup Review

An independent review into maternity and neonatal services in East Kent was confirmed in Parliament in February 2020 by Nadine Dorries, the then Minister of State for Patient Safety.  

The scope of the investigation was to look into individual cases, starting from 2009 when the Trust began, particularly focusing on issues and experiences of families, the adequacy of the Trust’s response, and lessons helpful to improving maternity services in East Kent and nationally.

Among those represented by Irwin Mitchell is the family of Kim Sampson from Whitstable.  She died aged 29 in May 2018 after developing an infection following the birth of her baby by caesarean section at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.  The hospital is run by East Kent NHS Trust.

Anna Vroobel, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Kim’s family, said: “More than four years on, Kim’s loved ones are understandably still struggling to come to terms with their loss.

“Following her death, the family had many concerns over the care provided to Kim by East Kent NHS Trust and were grateful when it was announced a review was taking place.

“We’re continuing to support them as they now await publication of the report.”

Find out more about our expertise in supporting families affected by maternity care issues at our dedicated medical negligence section. Alternatively to speak to an expert contact us or call 0370 1500 100.