Reducing brain injury in childbirth – the scheme that we’ve all been waiting for
Could this be what we’ve all been waiting for, and is it truly going to make a difference? The Department of Health & Social Care has launched a new pilot scheme, the Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth (“ABC”) programme, which is targeted at improving maternity care in the hope that it will prevent further brain injuries to newborns.
According to figures released by the Department of Health & Social Care, child brain injury cases amount to 10 per cent of all clinical negligence claims made against the NHS and make up more than 50 per cent of the total value of compensation awarded to patients who have been harmed by poor medical care. The aim of the ABC programme is to provide additional support and training to maternity staff on how to recognise when a baby is in distress during labour, and what to do when the baby’s head becomes lodged in the mother’s pelvis during a caesarean section, delaying their delivery.
These are both scenarios which, if not dealt with properly, can lead to the baby’s brain being starved of oxygen, causing it to sustain permanent damage and for the child to be left with lifelong disabilities. This is an issue the specialist medical negligence team at JMW sees far too often, and can lead to the child being diagnosed with cerebral palsy and in need of varying degrees of additional support, from minor modifications to their living arrangements to 24-hour specialist care.
Too many times we see parents let down by the very staff who they put their trust in to deliver their child safely. Sometimes the hospital Trust carries out an investigation, reflects on what they should have done and what they will do next time. But do the staff really know where they have gone wrong and understand what they need to do next time? And is it really acted on? It is hoped that the new programme will give maternity staff the knowledge and understanding they need to respond quickly and effectively, thereby improving patient care and hopefully reducing the number of children who suffer avoidable brain damage and have their chance of an independent life taken away from them.
However, it is concerning that the programme is not providing training on other issues which arise during labour, such as placental abruption. Complications such as this canalso lead to child brain injury if not dealt with correctly and often form the basis of the claims we inherit. So yes, the programme is a huge forward-thinking step in the right direction - but let’s not stop there!
New NHS programme to reduce brain injury in childbirth trialled - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Pilot to reduce brain injuries in childbirth launched | The Independent
