The aim of the Early Notification Scheme (ENS) is to investigate serious incidents relating to birth early, to learn from mistakes made and to prevent similar incidents happening in the future.

Cancer is a terrible disease, and the diagnosis is devastating.  Thankfully, many cancers are now treatable with timely detection and treatment being key.  

During Mental Health Awareness week we would like to highlight the psychological effect that a traumatic birth can have on a mother, which is often overlooked, and in particular where the medical care provided has been negligent.    

The lives of babies are at risk because maternity units are still unsafe, years after families raised concerns about preventable deaths resulting from poor care.

999 callers in England are facing an ‘appalling’ wait time for an ambulance to arrive according to Dr Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.

Erb’s Palsy is a permanent disability which can vary in severity from at its worst a complete paralysis of the shoulder, arm and hand, to the milder end of the spectrum being a weaker and less functionally useful limb, which is none the less still disabling.

Last week Donna Ockenden published her long awaited report on maternity failings at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust addressing what has been described as the worst maternity scandal in NHS history.

There has been a five-year inquiry into over 1800 cases where a lack in care has led to injury and even death at the Shrewsbury and Telford Trust.

Details of a five-year investigation have been released ahead of a report into the heart wrenching stories of 1,862 former patients affected by decisions made at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust between 2000 and 2019.

A recent Daily Mail article describes how Porsche McGregor-Sims died at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth on April 14th 2020 after cancer spread to her lungs, causing breathing problems before she suffered a fatal heart attack.

Head of the RCM (Royal Collage of Midwives), Gail Walton, has apologised for the part the organisation played in promoting “normal births” which has led to the deaths of mothers and babies.

As a solicitor specialising in medical negligence litigation, I was interested to watch “This is Going to Hurt”, the BBC drama based on the bestselling memoir of Adam Kay, in his role as a junior doctor in obstetrics and gynaecology. This was particularly pertinent to me given the significant number of cases relating to pregnancy, childbirth, and neonatal care that we, as a specialist firm handle.