Medical negligence compensation for stillborn tragedy

A British couple whose son was stillborn after a series of 'basic' medical errors has been awarded a five-figure compensation settlement.

Lawyers acting on behalf of Katie and Robert Page have said they received the undisclosed out-of-court payment after the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust accepted liability over the death of their son, Harry.

Harry was delivered stillborn on October 9, 2009, despite being identified as a high-risk pregnancy.

The couple's legal representative claimed that mistakes in Mrs Page's care, including a decision to postpone the induction of labour, mirrored other cases of poor maternity care at the hospital.

"To lose a baby is upsetting enough but to discover that - was it not for entirely avoidable, basic errors - Harry would have survived, has been very difficult for Katie and Robert to cope with," said the Page's solicitor.

"Perhaps more worrying still is that there were not only errors by individuals, but deep-rooted system failures including organisational problems and staffing issues. Whilst the Trust appears to have taken this incident seriously, I am particularly concerned that the same basic errors in maternity care appear to be repeated time after time here at this particular trust."

In a statement, Helen Blanchard, Director of nursing and midwifery for the trust, said: "Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust would like to offer their sincere apologies once again to the family. The Trust has accepted responsibility in this tragic case."

Following the stillbirth, processes within maternity services had been extensively reviewed, Mr Blanchard noted, prompting changes to improve the continuity of record-keeping and advice given to patients.

Medical errors, while rarely as tragic as the Page's, are common throughout England and Wales and victims and their families should approach our medical negligence experts as soon as possible to see if compensation is available.