The Sadness of a Still Birth

Our client was expecting her first baby and had initially experienced a straightforward pregnancy. At around 27 weeks gestation our client began vomiting blood and noticed reduced foetal movement.

When Mrs T presented at St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester she was given medication to stop the vomiting and was sent home. Approximately four weeks later Mrs T experienced the same symptoms. When she retuned to St Mary’s Hospital she was seen by a midwife who took a urine sample but failed to carry out an ultrasound scan.

Mrs T returned a week later with lower abdominal pains, a high temperature, rapid pulse, and high blood pressure. Mrs T was admitted. A CTG showed a reducing foetal heart rate and a doctor advised delivery but Mrs T was not then prioritised. Obstetric doctors could not be contacted because they were engaged with another patient in theatre and they failed to respond to their pagers.

The baby’s heart rate continued to decline and reached a dangerously low level. Mrs T was eventually transferred to a delivery suite, a doctor attended and commenced the delivery but, sadly, her baby was stillborn.

Pearson Solicitors investigated Mrs T’s claim and secured early admissions in relation to breach of duty of care from Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The investigation involved obtaining expert input from a psychologist who diagnosed persistent complex grieving reaction and associated major depressive episodes.

Our specialist Medical Negligence Solicitors secured a settlement of £40,000.

Kenneth Lees, Medical Negligence Solicitor, who handled the case said: “This was an extremely sad case involving the loss of a baby through missed opportunities to investigate Mrs T’s symptoms and the failure to prioritise the delivery of her baby. This understandably had a devastating impact on Mrs T and impacted on her day to day life leading to the breakdown of her relationship with her husband. St Mary’s Hospital does valuable work but on this occasion they missed key opportunities to investigate and intervene to avoid the stillbirth and I am pleased that we secured a settlement for Mrs T”.

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