Millions paid out in childbirth and maternity negligence claims at scandal-hit trust

More than £68 million has been paid out in childbirth and maternity medical negligence claims relating to care at a Sussex NHS Trust.

NHS Resolution paid millions in damages in the five years from 2017/18 to 2022/23 in claims over care at University Hospitals Sussex (UH Sussex).

There were 80 claims against the trust in that time.

The data was obtained in Freedom of Information requests released to Legal Expert, a law firm, and revealed the sum of payouts made by NHS resolution relating to UH Sussex was £68,570,538.

Robyn Davis, pictured, and Jonathan Davis from Steyning are seeking damages for the physical and mental impact following the death of their baby Orlando at Worthing Hospital in September 2021

UH Sussex runs four major hospitals across the county, the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, Worthing Hospital, St Richard’s in Chichester and the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath, and said it has one of the largest maternity services in the country.

Last month, the parents of a baby who died at two weeks old launched a compensation claim against the trust after a coroner ruled that failure to recognise his mother’s rare medical condition contributed to his death.

READ MORE: Families of nine babies who died at Sussex hospitals call for public inquiry

Robyn and Jonathan Davis from Steyning are seeking damages for the physical and mental impact following the death of their baby Orlando at Worthing Hospital in September 2021.

Baby Orlando Davis died 14 days after his birth (Image: Family handout)

According to NHS Resolution “maternity claims represent the highest value and second highest number of clinical negligence claims".

Dr Tim Taylor, chief of service for the women and children’s division, said: “We recognise the importance of listening to families and learning from their experience when their care falls short and our maternity teams are committed to doing that. All of these cases are desperately difficult for those involved and we are so sorry for anyone going through such distress.

“In recent years our teams have made significant improvements in the ways they work - a stronger triage system, investing in 40 more midwives and providing urgent appointments for medically complex cases so that mothers-to-be, children and mothers are safe in our care.”

The trust said outcomes for mothers and babies are improving and that there has been a statistically significant reduction in neonatal deaths and stillbirths in the past year.