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Maternity Negligence Claims

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Making families’ voices heard

Maternity negligence occurs if medical professionals make an avoidable mistake that leads to the injury or death of the mother or baby.

Our specialist maternity negligence team has a wealth of experience in guiding and supporting families through the legal claims process. We know how important acknowledgement, answers and accountability are. Families want assurance that lessons will be learned.

We are specialist maternity negligence lawyers with decades of experience achieving justice for mothers and babies across the UK.

We are members of the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel and the Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) Solicitors Referral Panel. Most importantly, we dedicate ourselves to each and every case and treat it with care and compassion.

We have offices in Cardiff, London, Nottingham and Derby but we are happy to conduct meetings online or at your home if that is more convenient or comfortable for you.

Our expert medical negligence solicitors make sure you understand every stage of the legal process and are fully supported throughout it.

Find out if we can help you

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Maternity inquiries

There have been widespread failures in NHS maternity care in the UK and there are several inquiries underway or recently completed to look at the extent of the failings and improve patient safety for mothers and babies.

Maternity Inquiries have been announced in the following areas

As well as a National Maternity Inquiry led by Baroness Valerie Amos investigating 14 additional trusts.

In 2024 the UK Government also published the Black Maternal Health Report looking into the worrying disparities in women’s maternal mortality based on their ethnicity.

If you have been affected by maternity care failings at any of these trusts, please get in touch with our team for support.

Don't just take our word for it

What our clients say

"Excellent, efficient service, very helpful, friendly and sympathetic to my situation."

"Much more important than the damages, you have given me the will to put one foot in front of another. I've never met a kinder or more professional human being."

"Highly experienced and effective clinical negligence team. Well-prepared and very skilled at dealing with high-value and complex matters."

"May I take this opportunity to thank you for your swift responses and professionalism during this difficult process. It has been very comforting knowing that you were supporting us. We would never have gotten to this conclusion without you."

"Highly professional, always available, nothing is ever too much. A true asset to the team, I could not have asked for better representation."

"You have always been courteous and professional. Your kind words, empathy and support mean a lot, and I will always be grateful for the empathy and understanding you have shown myself and my father throughout the process."

"The service provided was excellent. Extremely professional at all times whilst empathising with the sensitive nature of the claim."

"Myself and my family were really impressed with the quality of service provided to us. We were dealt with compassionately and were updated throughout. "

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Questions we are asked every day

Maternity Negligence FAQs

Generally, in medical negligence, you only have three years from the date of the negligence or the date you became aware of the negligence to start a claim, although there are some exceptions. For example, with negligence involving children you have three years from their 18th birthday to bring forward a claim.

  1. Call our team for a free initial consultation

We will listen to what happened and advise if we believe you may have grounds for a claim. We will discuss No Win No Fee funding options and outline the next steps if you wish to continue. There is no pressure, and it is completely confidential.

If you want to go ahead, we will..

  1. Review your medical records and seek independent medical expert evidence to assess whether mistakes were made and if they directly caused the injury.
  2. If the expert evidence supports the claim, we will send a Letter of Claim to the NHS trust or private care provider. This is the formal start of the legal process, and they have four months to respond to the allegations.

If liability is admitted, we will work with you to obtain expert evidence detailing the full impact the negligence has had on your child and your family. Most maternity negligence claims are settled out of court, and our experienced team handle the entire process, right through to negotiations and settlement on your behalf. We strive to get answers about what happened and what will happen to prevent future negligence.

If no agreement is reached or they deny responsibility, we may issue court proceedings. It’s important to know that many cases will still settle before trial.

We will ensure your voice is heard and that you get answers, as well as the compensation you deserve to support your family.

Maternity negligence occurs when the care a mother and/or baby receives falls below the high standards expected by a medical professional and results in avoidable harm to the patient.

If this happens, you may be able to make a claim for compensation against the Trust or Health Board responsible. You can also make a claim on someone else’s behalf. For example, if they are under 18 or lack capacity. If someone has passed away as a result of poor maternal care, a claim can also be brought on behalf of the estate and or dependants.

A medical negligence claim isn’t just about money, it is about getting answers and finding out what happened. It’s important that those responsible are held to account.

Claims help to raise awareness of issues within the healthcare system. They provide opportunities to improve medical standards and patient safety in the hope that no other family has to deal with the devastating consequences of medical negligence.

Compensation from a claim can also support your family moving forward and with changes in financial circumstances. It can provide financial security and access to therapy and rehabilitation services or medical equipment and adaptations you may need. This could include specialist education provision, accommodation, care and occupational and physical therapy.

We are specialist maternity negligence lawyers with a proven track record of achieving justice for mothers and babies across the UK.

We are members of the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel and the Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) Solicitors Referral Panel.

Most importantly, we understand how devastating maternity negligence is. We understand the importance of each and every case and we treat our clients and their cases with the empathy and respect they deserve.

We have offices in Cardiff, London, Nottingham and Derby but we are happy to conduct meetings online or at your home if that is more convenient or comfortable for you.

The amount of compensation received will vary depending on the extent of the harm caused, any expenses that have been incurred and any future needs.

Generally, you have three years from the date the negligence occurred, the date you became aware of it or the date you became aware that a significant injury was caused. There are some exceptions relating to children and mental capacity. Negligence involving children is an exception – you have three years from their 18th birthday to bring forward a claim.

Contact our team as soon as possible for advice.

There is no simple answer unfortunately as it depends on the complexity of your case. Some claims can take several years. It is important not to rush it and to gather all the information possible to get the best outcome and ensure you are adequately compensated.

Yes, many birth injuries can be prevented, although not all. Some will occur despite good care, but a significant number do happen because care fell below safe standards. This is when maternity negligence can happen.

A large proportion of birth injuries happen as a result of:

  • Delays in recognising foetal distress
  • Poor monitoring during labour
  • Failure to escalate to an emergency caesarean section
  • Mismanagement of maternal health conditions
  • Inadequate staffing.

Thinking about making a claim?

Book a call with us today