By Nearly £12 million paid in damages for midwifery negligence in Northern Lincolnshire
Over the last ten years Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLAG) paid out nearly £12m in damages over midwifery negligence claims.
A total of £16,063,080 was spent between 2011/12 and 2021/22 on 64 midwifery-related negligence claims, with £11,816,340 paid out in damages, £870,840 for NHS legal costs, and £3,375,900 of claimant’s legal costs.
NHS Resolution, which advises the NHS on resolving disputes fairly, released the information after an FOI request.
National data showed an average of more than one stillbirth each week in the ten year period which resulted in damages paid.
Over the ten year period a total of £4.2bn in damages and £923mn in legal fees was paid nationally across 7,839 closed or settled midwifery negligence claims.
NLAG’s chief executive, Dr Peter Reading, said: “I want to sincerely apologise to the families affected and to express my deep sympathy and condolences to the parents of the babies who sadly passed away in our care.
“Our staff work very hard to make sure we provide the best medical care and treatment possible. Unfortunately, as in all healthcare settings, there are times when things go wrong.
“When this happens in our Trust, it is important for us to work together with our solicitors and patients’ solicitors to agree a fair settlement. This is only one part of a much bigger picture and, as a Trust, we are committed to learning from our mistakes and doing everything we can to make sure they don’t happen again.”
There were seven fatality and six stillbirth-related midwifery negligence claims made to NLAG in the ten year period but no claims involved cerebral palsy or brain damage primary injury cases.
In 2020, maternity services at Scunthorpe General and Diana, Princess of Wales hospitals were both downgraded to overall ‘Requires Improvement’ ratings after Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections.
NLAG was 34th highest in terms of the number of claims made against each NHS Trust and the Department of Health.
NLAG placed in the lower half of Trusts in terms of the amount of damages paid out between 2011/12 and 2021/22.
The CQC announced in July plans to inspect all NHS acute hospital maternity services not inspected since before April 2021.
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