The case was brought following the girl’s birth in 2019
A baby girl was left with severe brain injuries after mistakes were made by staff at Liverpool Women’s Hospital. In April 2019, a woman known only as WXY was admitted to the Crown Street facility at 41 weeks pregnant to be induced.
She was later discharged at approximately 5pm and instructed to return once she was in established labour. However, she returned to the hospital just two hours later struggling with her symptoms and showing signs of distress, but was discharged again without further monitoring or treatment.
Coming back to the hospital later that night, her baby was born in poor condition, requiring immediate resuscitation and therapeutic cooling. The girl, known as TUV, now lives with multiple severe disabilities affecting her cognitive and physical functions. She requires 24-hour care and will never be able to live independently.
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The hospital trust admitted full liability and issued an apology after a case was brought by the mother’s solicitors. Her legal team argued that WXY should have been admitted when she returned in distress at 7pm, and that further monitoring – particularly a CTG, which is used during pregnancy and labour to monitor foetal heart rate and uterine contractions – would have revealed the baby was in distress, which would have led to an earlier delivery.
The Trust has since acknowledged that these failures directly contributed to the serious injuries suffered by TUV, with a letter of apology to the family saying that “mistakes were made by the Trust which resulted in [TUV] suffering a brain injury during the labour and delivery period.” In the letter, the Trust expressed deep regret for the “devastating impact” the failings have had on the family and provided assurances that new measures have been introduced to prevent future incidents.
These include changes to risk assessments and counselling processes for women with additional risk factors who opt for induction of labour, with CTG recordings of babies’ heart rates now performed on all women who return to the maternity unit during the process of outpatient induction of labour.
Additionally, women who return to the maternity unit with signs of labour but who are not yet in established labour are advised to transfer to the inpatient induction of labour pathway and remain in hospital.
An interim payment has been secured for the family, enabling them to access vital care, therapies, and specialist equipment for TUV and find suitable accommodation that will meet her complex needs. A hearing is scheduled for later this year to determine the evidence required to assess the full compensation necessary to support TUV’s lifelong care.
The Trust’s letter concluded by acknowledging that while no apology can undo the harm caused, they hope their actions demonstrate a commitment to improving care.
Speaking following the hospital’s admission of liability, WXY said that while she viewed the apology as a positive step forward, she still feels ‘very let down’ by the care she received.
She said: “The injuries that my daughter sustained during her birth are going to impact every single aspect of her life, for the rest of her life. It’s been incredibly hard coming to terms with the fact that more could and should have been done to protect us both, and while the apology is welcome, it is ultimately too little too late.
“I really hope that lessons have been learnt, as the Trust suggests, to make sure no one goes through what we have moving forward.”
Tanzeela Aslam, of Thompsons Solicitors, who represented WXY, said: “We appreciate the Trust’s full and frank apology and the reassurance that crucial lessons have been learnt. However, nothing can undo the catastrophic impact on the family, and they continue to deal with the consequences of these tragic failures.”
Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Trust declined to comment.
