Inquiry widened into neonatal deaths at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust

Sadly, neonatal deaths and injuries in the UK remain at a high level, and while having a baby is meant to be one of the most joyous occasions for any parents, the inquiry underway at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust only serves to highlight that sometimes errors are made by medical staff that will have devastating consequences.

The inquiry ordered by Jeremy Hunt in 2017 has now been widened, and we understand that over 100 cases are currently under investigation, with the Trust candidly and openly confirming that it will be looking at certain cases between 2000-2017.

Parents who might be affected will understandably have many far-reaching questions, which hopefully, this inquiry will answer. It is pleasing to note that the Trust acknowledges the importance of giving any families who have questions or concerns the opportunity to have them fully explored. 

Important considerations during an inquiry or a medical negligence claim would be things like:

• Although difficult to re-live what can often be painful memories, drawing up a detailed chronology of the facts of exactly what happened, including the conversations and discussions that you will have had with the clinicians involved in the case, will often focus on the key issues and help establish where areas of concern may need to be investigated.
• Have all of your documentary evidence to hand including any extracts of records, letters from the hospital or GP practice and arrange them in a chronological order which will help determine exactly what has happened across the timeline of events.
• Since May 2018, in most cases, a fee does not have to be paid for obtaining one’s medical records. To help with any analysis of the key issues in the case, you may wish to obtain the relevant medical records which in turn could help you put together the chronology of events.
• After you have drafted a chronology of events, write down questions that you need answering. At this stage, no question, however trivial should be left out. Often something that is playing on your mind may well be relevant or linked to some key issues surrounding any potential breaches relating to what has happened. If you have a set of key questions, it will help focus any discussions that you may need to have during the inquiry or with your solicitor.

For more information

If you would like help to bring a claim, or support through an inquiry, please contact Mr Rankeshwar Batta, Partner and Head of the Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury team at Anthony Collins Solicitors.

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