Lynda Reynolds, Partner in Clinical Negligence who heads the inquest team, has acted for numerous families who have lost babies. In this article she discusses the importance of supporting families during such an unimaginable time this Baby Loss Awareness Week.
Our clinical negligence team have acted for many families that have experienced baby loss where there are criticisms of the care that mum and baby have received. The job of a clinical negligence lawyer is to review the evidence and identify any failures in care. If failures are identified, then we will seek compensation for our clients.
What we also understand is that the process is far more than obtaining compensation, it is often a search for answers that drives families to contact us, assistance navigating investigations and inquests, seeking apologies and often trying to ensure lessons are learned and care improves so other families do not have to face the same devastation.
Walking the families through the journey
We see our role as walking families through the journey they are on until they have some sort of resolution. Not all baby loss will be because of negligence, but we fully understand that families need answers to attempt to process their loss. We know this is our specialist area and we are equipped to assist.
When there are apparent failures in care, the Coroner will open an inquest. It is not an option for families to avoid this and I am passionate that families should have specialist legal representation as inquests are incredibly difficult for families to navigate without experts assisting them.
I pick a family up at the point where they are facing grief and a complex legal system and walk with them through this process. I very much see my job as walking the path with them, navigating the frustrations and pain and moving towards a resolution. I can’t ever change what has happened but I can be there to support a family and ensure their voice is heard.
Turning devastation into support for others
One of my clients has set up an initiative to support families navigating the inquest system after the loss of their daughter. Tom and Ja created Beyond Us, a self-funded initiative, to help support other parents navigate grief and trauma following the loss of a child. Their five-month-old daughter, Rae, sadly died from sepsis in 2023 after they repeatedly took her to hospital but key signs were missed.
Another support network for families was created by Dr Chantal Lockey. She is CEO of the Foundation for Infant Loss which is national hub designed to ensure families never have to walk through grief alone.
She said:
“Following the devastating loss of my own baby, I experienced firsthand the profound isolation of navigating grief without adequate support. It became clear that families desperately needed a centralised, trusted resource during their darkest moments. I established this national directory to bridge that critical gap, ensuring that specialised professional help is readily accessible and that no grieving parent is forced to walk through their loss alone.”
If failures are identified in the care provided, I work with the family to recover compensation for them. Whilst no amount of money can reflect the loss that they have, compensation can allow time. The financial breathing space of having funds to take time off work, pay for counselling, pay for treatments and clear bills is invaluable when moving through grief.
The lifelong impact after losing a baby
One of my recent cases settled for a substantial six figure sum to reflect the psychiatric injury my client suffered when her son died shortly after birth. Her mental health was so badly affected that she was unable to return to her previous job. The psychiatric expert diagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which meant she would never be able to return to her previously well-paid executive job. This created a significant loss of earnings for her which was not her fault. Compensation was obtained to reflect this loss of earnings, allowing her time to focus on trying to put her life back together, grieving the loss of her son alongside the loss of a much-loved career.
I am dedicated to finding the answers as to what went wrong to obtain compensation for our clients. We look into the care received, see if there are any failures that can be highlighted to the NHS, it may include apologies and the opportunity to learn lessons and change processes.
Although today marks the start of Baby Loss Awareness Week, the loss of a baby is not confined to one particular week. For families living with grief, the search for answers and support can continue for many years. We are committed to walking alongside those families, helping them understand what happened, ensuring their voices are heard and, where care has fallen short, seeking accountability and meaningful change.
