Large Percentage Of Medical Negligence No Win No Fee Cases Relate To Lost Babies
A huge proportion of the money spent annually compensating victims in medical negligence no win no fee cases goes to victims of maternity and neonatal errors. This has prompted campaigners to express their concerns that lessons are not being learnt from the deaths of newborns.
In UK hospitals six and a half thousand babies are still born or die in neonatal care every year. Hundreds of babies and their families are the victims of failures of the doctors and nurses they trust, say patient groups. Following the massive numbers of medical negligence no win no fee cases relating to botched maternity care, some campaigners believe that 45% of these deaths could be prevented.
Currently, the NHS litigation authority spends £700 million each year on compensation and legal fees relating to medical negligence no win no fee claims. A massive £300 million of this goes to compensate the victims of maternity blunders or their families.
Concern has been expressed by both medical negligence no win no fee lawyers and patient campaign groups. They suggest that despite the previous promises of healthcare trusts, hospitals and medical professionals, nobody appears to be learning anything form the deaths of babies caused by medical errors.
Many of the deaths are caused by a hospital’s failure or inability to adequately observe a mother who will give birth imminently and a lack of space in maternity wards meaning that overdue mothers are sent home. Many people are concerned that attempts to cut costs are preventing new staff being taken on, worsening the problem and endangering more mothers and newborns.
Although the compensation is right and fair for families whose lives are torn apart by medical blunders, legal costs are crippling the health service. An investment in further staff and training would surely prevent further medical errors and save money in the long run.
Tags: Babies, Campaign Groups, Campaigners, Deaths, Doctors And Nurses, Health Service, Imminently, Massive Numbers, Maternity Care, Maternity Wards, Medical Blunders, Medical Errors, medical negligence, medical negligence no win no fee, Medical Professionals, Negligence Cases, Neonatal Care, Newborns, Nhs Litigation Authority, Patient Groups, Uk Hospitals