£290,000 paid out by Nottingham University Hospitals due to negligence resulting in stillbirths

A Freedom of Information request (FOI) showed that between the years of 2010 and 2020, the Nottingham University Hospitals Trust settled 10 stillbirth clinical negligence claims. Around 2,500 babies are stillborn every year, with 75 of those said to be attributed to clinical negligence. An average of £29,000 was paid out per case, as well as £286,000 in legal fees overall. Data also discovered that Trusts across the country are paying £29.8 milllion in damages and £34.8 million in legal fees over 758 medical negligence cases.

A clinical negligence firm requested this FOI and released the statistics for Baby Loss Awareness week. This comes shortly after Donna Ockenden (nurse and midwife) led an independent review into Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust after 20 years of shocking treatment. She has now begun a review of Nottingham University Hospital Trust in an attempt to uncover the extent of clinical negligence.

A solicitor involved in the matter commented: "While the Ockenden Report focused on failings in Shrewsbury and Telford, its findings appear indicative of maternity services across the country, which is further highlighted by the fact that more than one baby in England is at risk of being stillborn due to negligence each week. Failures in care are being repeated because lessons are not learned."

Michelle Rhodes, Chief Nurse at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, commented: "We are committed to learning from every incident that occurs in our Trust, to ensure we learn and improve our services going forward to prevent avoidable harm to the mothers, babies and their families under our care.”