Birth injury claim involves lack of advice to mother re birthing centre limitations
Punam Sood recently settled a multi-million-pound claim for a young girl with four-limb cerebral palsy after the care of her mother during labour was negligently managed by the birthing centre at Neath Port Talbot Hospital in Wales in 2016.
The girl, who is protected by an anonymity order, is left with severe cognitive difficulties and will need constant care for life. She will never live independently and requires intense support with everyday living.
Her mother, June*, was 24 years old at the time of her labour. She was under antenatal care at the Singleton Hospital, run by the Swansea Bay University Health Board. During her antenatal care, June discussed her care with midwives and although she wanted to attend the Singleton Hospital, then opted for a water birth which was then arranged at the Neath Port Talbot birthing centre.
When she did go into labour, her daughter's heart rate became catastrophically low (bradycardic). Once delivered, she needed resuscitating and was blue lit by ambulance to the Singleton for cooling treatment.
An MRI scan of her brain at 11 days old showed the brain injury caused by a period of hypoxia where the baby was deprived of oxygen, causing her disabilities.
The case against the hospital board was that June was not given sufficient information about how the birthing centre was run to have made an informed decision to deliver her baby in that type of setting.
She was not informed of the time it would take to transfer from the birthing centre to the hospital if something did go wrong during labour, as in fact was the case.
The birthing centre is part of a larger hospital and there were no obstetricians or paediatricians available to attend when difficulties occured during labour. This was not something that was explained to June during her antenatal care. Her baby's heart rate would also not be monitored by CTG trace at the centre, only by intermittent fetal heart rate auscultation. The distance from the Singleton meant it took an hour by ambulance to transfer the baby after she was born.
June was also not told that midwives at the birthing centre could not perform an 'assisted delivery' via ventouse, forceps, or a caesarean section. Had June been given the correct and appropriate information, she would not have agreed to give birth at the birthing centre but would have instead kept to her decision to go to the Singleton.
Liability was initially denied by the Hospital but following exchange of witness evidence the parties reached a compromise on liability.
Punam then worked with a team of experts in care, accommodation, various therapies and other medical specialists to set out the costs of meeting our clients' needs over her lifetime.
A settlement was approved by the Court in March 2025 providing a lump sum payment plus an annual payment every year for life to ensure the young girl will have care and support for life.
Following settlement, June's parents said: "We are still and will always be so grateful to you, Punam. Our lives now seem a world away from the stress we felt before you took up the fight for us."
Contact us
For further information about birth injury claims or medical negligence claims, please call Punam Sood on 0330 460 5952 or email punam.sood@fieldfisher.com
Alternatively
- You can speak to our medical negligence solicitors on freephone 0800 358 3848
- email us: personalinjury@fieldfisher.com
- Complete the short online enquiry form
All enquiries are completely free of charge and we will investigate all funding options for you including no win, no fee. Find out more about no win no fee claims.
