‘A cascade of catastrophic failings’: the UK’s baby death scandals – The Guardian

‘An investigation into baby deaths at Furness general hospital in Barrow between 2004 and 2013 found a “lethal mix” of failings at almost every level.’

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The Guardian, 6th June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Hannah Cobley: Mum who murdered newborn loses conviction appeal – BBC News

‘A woman who wrapped her newborn baby in plastic bags and left her to die on farmland has lost an appeal against her murder conviction.’

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BBC News, 29th June 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Meadows v Khan in the Supreme Court: Scope of Duty in Clinical Negligence Claims – Ropewalk Clinical Negligence Blog

‘In Meadows v Khan [2021] UKSC 21, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed Ms Meadows’ appeal, finding that there was no principled basis for excluding a clinical negligence claim from the ambit of the ‘scope of duty principle’ in the tort of negligence. The judgment can be read here. This short blog looks at the majority’s reasoning.’

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Ropewalk Clinical Negligence Blog, 24th June 20201

Source: www.ropewalk.co.uk

Supreme Court Revisits Wrongful Birth Claims: an extended look — Robert Kellar QC and Owain Thomas QC – UK Human Rights Blog

‘In Khan v. Meadows [2021] UKSC 21 the Supreme Court has revisited the principles to be applied in “wrongful birth” claims: claims for the cost of bringing up a disabled child who would not have been born but for a doctor’s negligent medical advice/treatment. However, the judgment has implications beyond the world of clinical negligence litigation. The Supreme Court has taken the opportunity to clarify the components or ingredients of the tort negligence more generally. In particular, the Court has affirmed the importance of the “scope of duty” principle: a principle which limits the recoverability of damages wherever it applies. In particular, it is not sufficient for a claimant to establish that – with competent advice – they would have made a different decision about their treatment or care. They must also demonstrate that the particular harm that they have suffered fell within the scope of the defendant’s duty of care.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 24th June 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Jamie King loses damages bid over Dunkirk role after son’s death – BBC News

‘Actor Jamie King has lost a High Court bid against an NHS trust after claiming he lost work, including a role in the film Dunkirk, after his son died.’

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BBC News, 17th June 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Research shows rising number of public law cases involving newborn babies, highlights short notice given to most parents – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 8th, 2021 in birth, care orders, children, news, notification, reports, statistics by sally

‘In the majority of public law cases involving newborn babies parents are given very little formal notice that care proceedings have been issued and the case is to be heard in court, research by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (FJO) has shown.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 7th June 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Newborn care report sparks judicial response – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Judges are to investigate the use of urgent hearings in proceedings involving babies, after a study found that 85% of mothers in cases involving newborns being taken into care were given less than seven days’ formal notice.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 4th June 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Overwhelming and emotionally traumatic’: 1 in 6 new mothers only given a day’s notice of care proceedings, research says – The Independent

‘One in six mothers involved in care proceedings over the last year were given just a day’s notice of a court hearing to decide whether their newborn child would be taken into care, according to research. The vast majority of such women in England and Wales receive less than one week’s notice, new analysis shows.’

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The Independent, 5th June 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘More work to do’ to improve Nottingham maternity units – BBC News

‘More needs to be done to bring maternity units at a city’s two main hospitals up to scratch, inspectors have said.’

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BBC News, 28th May 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Hundreds of women forced to ‘wear face masks while giving birth’ – The Independent

‘Hundreds of women were forced to wear face masks while giving birth despite this violating formal rules, a new study has found.’

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The Independent, 14th May 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Agoraphobic pregnant woman can be forced into hospital, UK judge rules – The Guardian

‘Judge rules medical staff can use minimum force on woman who has barely left home in four years.’

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The Guardian, 14th May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

NHS trust pleads guilty after ‘wholly avoidable’ death of week-old baby – The Guardian

Posted April 20th, 2021 in birth, hospitals, medical treatment, news, prosecutions by sally

‘A hospital trust has pleaded guilty to a criminal charge brought by the NHS regulator over failings in care that led to the death of a newborn boy at just seven days old.’

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The Guardian, 19th April 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Hospitals forced to repay millions after falsely claiming their maternity units were safe – The Independent

‘NHS hospitals have been forced to pay millions of pounds to regulators after wrongly claiming their maternity units were among the safest in the country.’

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The Independent, 7th March 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Woman with Covid should be allowed to die weeks after giving birth, judge rules – The Guardian

Posted February 25th, 2021 in birth, consent, coronavirus, families, medical treatment, news by sally

‘A woman in her early 30s, who has Covid and remains in an induced coma after giving birth to a son, should be allowed to die, against the wishes of her family, a judge has ruled.’

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The Guardian, 24th February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Family Law Newsletter – Spire Barristers

‘Issue #43 of Spire Barristers’ Family Law Newsletter: edited by Connie Purdy and Taz Irshad; news and Case Reviews by Francesca Massarella. Francesca is due to begin pupillage at Spire Barristers in September 2021.’

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Spire Barristers, 16th February 2021

Source: spirebarristers.co.uk

More deaths, worse care: inquiry opens into NHS maternity ‘systemic racism’ – The Guardian

Posted February 8th, 2021 in birth, equality, hospitals, human rights, inquiries, news, race discrimination, statistics by tracey

‘An urgent inquiry to investigate how alleged systemic racism in the NHS manifests itself in maternity care will be launched on Tuesday with support from the UK charity Birthrights. The inquiry will apply a human- rights lens to examine how claimed racial injustice – from explicit racism to bias – is leading to poorer health outcomes in maternity care for ethnic minority groups.’

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The Guardian, 7th February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Bristol: Brain-damaged baby dies after life support ruling – BBC News

Posted February 2nd, 2021 in birth, consent, hospitals, medical treatment, news, parental responsibility, paternity by sally

‘A brain-damaged baby has died days after a judge ruled that doctors could stop providing life-support treatment.’

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BBC News, 1st February 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Bedford hospital: ‘Risk of baby abduction’ at ‘inadequate’ maternity unit – BBC News

Posted January 15th, 2021 in birth, children, families, hospitals, kidnapping, news, ombudsmen, whistleblowers by tracey

‘Maternity services at a hospital have been downgraded to “inadequate” after inspectors found a “potential risk for baby abduction”. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected Bedford Hospital’s maternity services in November following “14 whistle-blower inquiries”.’

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BBC News, 15 January 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The right to establish identity: donor offspring — David Gollancz – UK Human Rights Blog

‘This is the second of two posts by David Gollancz, a barrister at Keating Chambers and donor-conceived adult, about the UK system of birth registration and certification. The first post concerned the treatment of transgender parents. This second post deals with the position of the offspring of gamete donation.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 17th December 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

The right to respect for identity: transgender parents — David Gollancz – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted December 17th, 2020 in assisted reproduction, birth, birth certificates, news, transgender persons by tracey

‘This is the first of two posts by David Gollancz, a barrister at Keating Chambers and donor-conceived adult, about the UK system of birth registration and certification. This first post concerns the treatment of trans parents. The second post will deal with the position of the offspring of gamete donation.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 16th December 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com