Childbirth negligence lawyer represents family at inquest into the death of their baby
Oliver Thorne, a specialist childbirth negligence lawyer, and maternity care campaigner, represented the family of baby Giles Cooper-Hall, who died at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth just hours after being born due to hospital failings.
Oliver, who is an AvMA panellist and recommended by both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners directories, demanded that changes needed to be made following the inquest into Giles’s death.
Baby Giles died after suffering a lack of oxygen and the inquest heard that this was due to multiple failings in the maternity care.
The coroner highlighted several missed opportunities to save Giles’s life, and commented that the outcome might have been different had the maternity care been better.
An official investigation by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch had earlier revealed how inexperienced and overstretched staff had:
- failed to carry out proper checks;
- failed to recognise there was an emergency;
- failed to seek help from senior doctors in time; and
- failed to follow the care plan for his mother’s labour.
Five safety recommendations were made as a result of the report and the Plymouth NHS Trust has confirmed they have all now been implemented.
The case, which the coroner called, “truly tragic,” has attracted national headlines, with reports being featured on the BBC and in the Daily Mail. Pressure is now mounting for an enquiry to be held into the standard of maternity care in NHS hospitals.
Childbirth negligence lawyer Oliver is fully behind the calls, and has been campaigning for years for improvements to be made in maternity services.
“This was an incredibly sad case,” he said, “where basic medical care was simply not provided. In particular there was a failure of the midwives to handover the care plan or to ensure that medical records were properly checked.”
Oliver went on to acknowledge that, “the inquiry into the death of baby Giles has been thorough, and the coroner’s narrative verdict was welcome.”
We operate a confidential FREE helpline on 0333 888 0436 for anyone requiring legal guidance in relation to childbirth injuries. Alternatively childbirth negligence lawyer Oliver Thorne can be contacted by email at [email protected]