A mother from Wales has been awarded compensation amount of more than half a million pounds for the damage caused by her injuries during childbirth. Amy Stead, from Wrexham, suffered “rushed” childbirth in 2019 as the obstetrician missed an injury during Stead’s labour.
She is now given a payout of £575,000 (approx. $718,060) by the hospital for negligence by the staff. But this story has another shade too.
Campaigners and social workers say that the maternity services make more negligence claims and payments than any other hospital department, and they believe it is because the staff there is underfunded and overworked.
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During Stead’s labour in 2019, she suffered a major tear inside her that left her with a permanent stoma. What’s worse is that it wasn’t spotted soon enough to prevent her from experiencing Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
"It turned out that I had a hole between my vagina and rectum, but it had been completely missed," Stead told Sky News channel.
She said her obstetrician was "in such a rush to leave" that she missed the injury.
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"Had she taken more time and care over what she was doing… she may have seen it, and they could have put me to sleep and repaired it properly," she added.
Stead suffered from PTSD and was in pain for a year after her son was born.
"It felt like all the joy had been sucked out of having my first baby," she further told the Sky News.
After suffering both physically and mentally Stead decided to sue the hospital.
It was a tough decision for her because she used to work at the hospital. After five years of litigation, she received the amount on Thursday (May 9) for the damages caused to her.
The incident shed light on the broken ecosystem of maternity services in the UK.
Figures for England for 2022-23 show maternity services made up 13 per cent of clinical negligence claims alone, more than any other department.
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Litigation lawyers say damages are often high because of the physical and psychological impact the injuries have.
Many cases don't even see the light of the day, as mothers cannot muster the courage to sue a hospital.
Ruth Powell, head of clinical negligence at the law firm Hugh James, said litigation is "gruelling" for people, with a "really high bar" to prove a claim.
Many mothers never seek legal advice.
(With inputs from agencies)