Yorkshire hospital trusts pay more than £34m in damages for maternity negligence in a decade

NHS figures showed Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust (HUTH) paid out more than £19.8m for 19 claims and Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals Trust more than £14.2m for 76. A HUTH spokesperson said changes were made following claims to stop future problems but the vast majority of patients involved in around 4,500 deliveries a year were happy with services.

NHS figures showed seven claims made from the 2011-12 financial year to this March related to deliveries leaving babies with cerebral palsy or brain damage. Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals Trust paid out for five claims due to deaths and another fives for stillbirths.

The Trust and HUTH paid more than £1.5m combined in their legal costs over the last decade. They also paid more than £5.4m in claimants’ legal costs. The combined amount of claims settled by the trusts was less than the 72 average for England. The total paid in damages was also below the average of more than £44.2m.

Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust closed the highest number of claims during the last decade, a total of 147. Barts Health NHS Trust paid the highest amount in damages, more than £108.9m, while the highest amount overall was paid by the Department of Health, almost £130m.

Maternity services at Women and Children’s Hospital, based at Hull Royal Infirmary, were rated Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) during their latest inspection in June 2018. HUTH’s spokesperson said they always supported affected families through the claims process.

The spokesperson said: “We set very high standards of care for our patients and the 4,500 babies delivered at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital every year. Extensive and continual feedback confirms the vast majority of parents are happy with the care delivered by our committed and dedicated staff.

“On the rare occasions when care falls below the high standards we expect, we attempt to settle any subsequent legal action as quickly as possible using the correct procedures followed by all NHS organisations. We also conduct full and detailed investigations, reporting back to families where appropriate, to make necessary adjustments and changes to help prevent a repeat of problems in the future.”