How Do I Claim Compensation for an OASI?
Without prompt and effective medical care, an OASI in childbirth may leave the new mother with appalling and life-changing symptoms. It may be possible to make a claim for compensation.
The risk of an OASI
Around five to ten percent of women in the UK giving birth through the vagina, suffer an OASI. This is an obstetric anal sphincter injury, or severe birth tear, which damages the muscles which control bowel movements.
As a known risk of vaginal childbirth, an OASI is not, in itself, a sign of negligent maternity care. First-time mothers, women who have carried a large baby and those who have experienced an instrumental birth are particularly susceptible to this severe injury.
An OASI may, however, become the focus of a claim for compensation if medical staff have not diagnosed the injury accurately or have not ensured that an appropriate and effective repair is carried out.
When Can I Claim Compensation
In these circumstances, and where the new mother suffers on-going problems associated with the negligent care, it may be possible to claim compensation.
A successful compensation claim will address the financial losses experienced by the new mother. As well as taking account of the woman's unnecessary pain and suffering, this may cover a wide range of financial consequences including a loss of income if the woman is no longer able to work in the same type of employment or for the same number of hours as prior to giving birth due to her symptoms.
Negligent OASI care
Medical professionals may be considered to have provided only substandard care for the following reasons:
- If the professionals attendant at the birth fail to examine the new mother thoroughly, fail to identify damage to the anal sphincter, or make a misdiagnosis. Any of these scenarios can lead to a complete failure of repair and on-going symptoms which may worsen over time
- If medical professionals fail to carry out a complete or appropriate repair, using the recommended techniques, thus causing the new mother to suffer on-going symptoms or a break-down of her repair
Speak to a legal specialist
If you think that either yourself or a loved one have been the victim of negligent maternity care, you should speak to a lawyer who specialises in this complex area of the law. They will be able to access your medical records and instruct the best medical experts to assess the quality of your maternity care.
If you have indeed suffered from negligent care and are experiencing on-going problems as a result, a specialist solicitor will be able to guide you through the process of making a claim.
Contact Glynns Solicitors, specialists in medical negligence law, to speak with a solicitor, free of charge, about the possibility of making a claim for compensation.
Please call us on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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