Today at the Health and Social Care Committee evidence session on NHS Litigation Reform, Lucy Allan MP interviewed a witness from Shropshire, who had contacted Lucy as a result of her campaigning on maternity malpractice at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust.
The constituent suffered clinical negligence at the birth of her daughter, who has severe disabilities due to this negligence. The constituent had a traumatic labour which led to an emergency caesarean section which ultimately resulted in her daughter’s severe brain injury. There was a protracted legal process and it took 24 years to finally receive compensation. Lucy asked questions about the experience and difficulties, faced in getting an answer to what had gone wrong and who was culpable. Sadly, the answers were all too familiar to and reflected similar incidents of maternity malpractice at the Trust.
Lucy and the Committee were informed that the constituent had known that there was ‘something not right’ but no one listened and she was never given a straight answer she was led to believe that the brain injury suffered was her own fault and that it was “just one of those things”.
People put trust their doctors; a culture of dismissing concerns and minimising severe harm, verging on denial, is not limited to this case and too often patients accept poor care.
The constituent was not aware that her daughter’s injury was fault of the hospital until she spoke to GP who informed her that her daughter's condition was a birth injury. It was not until 1996 that she found a solicitor who was experienced in medical litigation to help get her go to court to reach a very substantial settlement. It was not until 2007 that a settlement was finally reached.
The Committee heard evidence that this constituent also received hostility from some staff at the hospital when she gave birth to her second child, as they were made aware that she was taking legal action against the hospital.
Lucy hopes that the Ockenden report, due to be released next month, will help bring to the fore other cases and deliver permanent cultural change in maternity care in Telford and across the country.
This was the final evidence session in the Committee’s inquiry into this issue.
You can watch the constituent’s evidence and Lucy’s questioning online here. Lucy’s segment starts at 10:02:30
