Category: birth

Should there be a statutory public inquiry into the murders and attempted murders by Lucy Letby? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted August 24th, 2023 in attempted murder, birth, hospitals, inquiries, murder, news, nurses by sally

‘Why wasn’t Lucy Letby stopped sooner? This is the burning question that the families of her victims, and the public, are now asking. Steve Barclay, the Health Secretary, has decided that the best means of answering it is a “non-statutory public inquiry”. But what is such an inquiry, and will it be better than a full-blown statutory public inquiry?’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 23rd August 2023

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Lucy Letby sentenced to whole-life jail term after murdering seven babies – The Guardian

Posted August 22nd, 2023 in birth, children, murder, news, nurses, sentencing by sally

‘The serial killer nurse, Lucy Letby, will never be released from prison after she was sentenced to a rare whole-life term for the “sadistic” murders of seven babies.’

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The Guardian, 21st August 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lucy Letby: How could the NHS stop a future killer within? – BBC News

Posted August 21st, 2023 in bereavement, birth, causing death of children or vulnerable adults, children, families, hospitals, inquests, inquiries, murder, news, nurses by tracey

‘Nearly a quarter of a century before Lucy Letby began attacking babies on a neonatal unit, another hospital experienced similarly sudden and unexpected losses.’

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BBC News, 21st August 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ministers ‘dragging feet’ on forcing killers to court as Lucy Letby to skip sentencing – The Independent

Posted August 21st, 2023 in bereavement, birth, causing death of children or vulnerable adults, children, corporate manslaughter, families, hospitals, inquests, inquiries, Ministry of Justice, murder, news, trials by tracey

‘Ministers have been accused of “dragging their feet” over laws to force killers into the dock as Lucy Letby refuses to appear in court for her sentencing.’

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The Independent, 21st August 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lucy Letby trial: why the babies remain anonymous – The Guardian

Posted August 21st, 2023 in anonymity, bereavement, birth, children, families, hospitals, murder, news, nurses, privacy, reporting restrictions by tracey

‘The trial of Lucy Letby was conducted amid levels of press secrecy for victims and witnesses rarely seen outside proceedings involving matters of national security.’

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The Guardian, 18th August 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Coronial powers and the rights of the unborn (Part 1) – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted August 14th, 2023 in bereavement, birth, children, death in custody, human rights, inquests, jurisdiction, news, pregnancy, prisons, women by tracey

‘In this two-part article, Maya Sikand KC, Tom Stoate, and Ruby Peacock, explore two difficult questions arising from the inquest into the “harrowing circumstances” of the death of a baby, Aisha Cleary, at HMP Bronzefield. This first part seeks to answer the question: should coroners have jurisdiction to investigate stillbirths?’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 11th August 2023

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘Chaotic’ maternity unit ‘not fit for purpose’ rated inadequate by CQC – The Independent

Posted August 9th, 2023 in birth, hospitals, midwives, news, ombudsmen, pregnancy by tracey

‘A maternity unit has been given the lowest possible rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after the regulator described it as a “chaotic environment which was not fit for purpose”.’

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The Independent, 9th August 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Montgomery and Material Contribution – QMLR

Posted August 3rd, 2023 in birth, causation, chambers articles, contribution, negligence, news, personal injuries by sally

‘In January 2023, Mr Justice Ritchie handed down an important decision dealing with Montgomery and causation in birth injury claims.’

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QMLR, 18th July 2023

Source: 1corqmlr.com

HMP Bronzefield baby death followed systemic failings – inquest – BBC News

Posted July 31st, 2023 in birth, causing death of children or vulnerable adults, children, death in custody, imprisonment, inquests, news, pregnancy, prisons by tracey

‘A baby died after her “vulnerable” 18-year-old mother gave birth alone in a jail cell following “systemic failings” by state agencies, a coroner has said.’

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BBC News, 29th July 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Nottingham maternity review set to become UK’s largest – BBC News

Posted July 10th, 2023 in bereavement, birth, children, families, hospitals, inquiries, news, pregnancy by sally

‘A review into failings in maternity care in hospitals in Nottingham is set to become the largest in the UK, the BBC understands.’

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BBC News, 10th July 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Teenager Paris Mayo sentenced to at least 12 years for murder of newborn son – The Guardian

Posted June 27th, 2023 in birth, murder, news, pregnancy, sentencing by sally

‘A woman has been detained for a minimum of 12 years for murdering her newborn baby when she was 15 to prevent her family discovering she had been pregnant.’

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The Guardian, 26th June 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

NHS Trust chief to publicly apologise to victims of maternity care scandal – The Independent

Posted May 25th, 2023 in birth, families, hospitals, news, pregnancy, standards by tracey

‘The head of an under-fire NHS Trust will publicly apologise to victims of a maternity scandal as the chair of a review into the episode said the trust has “a lot of learning to do”.
Anthony May, chief executive of the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, will apologise on its behalf to parents who were affected by poor maternity care at its annual public meeting on July 10, the trust said on Wednesday.’

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The Independent, 24th May 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Causation and Divisible Injury, The ‘Rocks Of Uncertainty’: CNZ (a minor) v Royal Bath Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Another [2023] EWHC 19 (KB) – 3PB

Posted April 4th, 2023 in apportionment, birth, chambers articles, contribution, hospitals, negligence, news, personal injuries by sally

‘CNZ v Royal United Bath Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a must-read for those practising in clinical negligence and especially for those practising in birth injury cases. However, the case also provides useful guidance on material contribution and apportionment. Ritchie J sketches out important parameters on the law on material contribution and extracts the important distinction between divisible injury and divisible
outcome. The terminology can be nebulous unless a distinction is drawn between these concepts (injury and outcome) which Ritchie J provided with welcomed clarity. The law on material contribution has migrated from industrial disease to clinical negligence litigation and the judgment provides important guidance when a Claimant suffers an injury from a combination of tortious and non-tortious causes.’

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3PB, March 2023

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

Assessing capacity: the principles – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 20th, 2023 in asylum, birth, Court of Protection, immigration, imprisonment, learning difficulties, news, pregnancy, prisons by tracey

‘Alex Ruck Keene KC (Hon) reports on a capacity masterclass from MacDonald J in the Court of Protection, and highlights an updated capacity guide from 39 Essex Chambers.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 17th March 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Judge rules birth father should have been notified of existence of child but accepts he cannot force mother to reveal his identity – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 23rd, 2023 in adoption, birth, children, identification, news, notification, paternity by sally

‘A Family Court judge has said he cannot compel a mother to disclose the identity of a toddler’s birth father, even though he should have been told of the child’s existence before adoption proceedings are completed.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 23rd February 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

NHS trust failed in care of baby who died 23 minutes after birth – The Guardian

Posted January 26th, 2023 in birth, guilty pleas, hospitals, news, prosecutions, standards by sally

‘The mother of a baby girl who died in hospital 23 minutes after being born has said she was “failed in the most cruel way” by an NHS Trust that has admitted failings in their care.’

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The Guardian, 25th January 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Court rejects costs budgeting plea on child’s clin neg claim – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 16th, 2023 in birth, costs, damages, hospitals, negligence, news, personal injuries by tracey

‘The High Court has rejected a defendant’s plea for a costs management order regarding a child’s clinical negligence case which could still have years to run. Master Cook stated that the policy of children’s cases being exempt from costs management should be adhered to, even if the defendant was unhappy with the costs incurred so far.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 13th January 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

X v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care: Valuing historic cases – St John’s Chambers

Posted January 10th, 2023 in birth, chambers articles, hospitals, limitations, negligence, news by sally

‘In this brief note Justin Valentine, Counsel for the claimant, discusses an unusual case where serious sciatic nerve injury was sustained by the claimant shortly after her birth in the mid-1960s, but where she only became aware of the negligence in her 50s over 30 years after the end of the primary limitation period. Limitation was initially raised as an issue but was dropped at CCMC stage. The case settled subsequent to a JSM for approximately £1.6 million.’

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St John's Chambers, 3rd January 2023

Source: www.stjohnschambers.co.uk

Maternity scandal victims join fight against fixed costs – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 19th, 2022 in birth, children, costs, families, hospitals, negligence, news by tracey

‘A powerful new lobby has joined the fight to stop the government capping costs for clinical negligence claims worth less than £25,000. Some 28 families involved in the Shrewsbury and Telford maternity scandal have signed an open letter to health secretary Steve Barclay opposing the proposals.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 19th December 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Care substandard at 39% of maternity units in England, NHS watchdog finds – The Guardian

Posted October 21st, 2022 in birth, causing death of children or vulnerable adults, families, hospitals, midwives, news, ombudsmen, pregnancy, statistics by tracey

‘Two out of five maternity units in England are providing substandard care to mothers and babies, the NHS watchdog has warned. “The quality of maternity care is not good enough,” the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said in its annual assessment of how health and social care services are performing.’

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The Guardian, 21st October 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com