Background: Our client gave birth to her first child, a baby girl, in June 2021 via emergency category 2 caesarean section. She and her daughter were discharged home the following day. However, the postnatal care she received fell significantly below expected standards, leading to severe complications.

Neglected Symptoms: Our client was seen at home 5 days post birth by two midwives. By this time, she was experiencing severe pain at her caesarean site, a foul smell from the wound, and a fever. Despite raising these concerns, the trainee midwife only changed the dressing and reassured her that the seeping wound was not a cause for worry.

Deterioration and Hospital Admission: Overnight and into the next day, our client’s condition worsened, with fever, sweating, shaking, and increased pain. She attended the birth centre that evening, where her wound was found to be red, swollen, and leaking fluid. Tests confirmed sepsis, and she required surgery for debridement of the infected wound.

Ongoing Complications: Post-surgery, our client needed IV antibiotics and monitoring. Despite initial improvements, she experienced further complications and a CT scan on 23 June revealed an infected collection, necessitating another urgent surgery and the application of a VAC dressing.

Recovery and Long-Term Impact: Our client was discharged from hospital over two weeks later but required frequent follow-ups. The wound took twice as long to heal as expected, resulting in increased scar tissue, discomfort, and restricted movement.  In addition to the physical impact our client developed an adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, as well as a specific phobia of medical care. She is also fearful of becoming pregnant again. Psychological therapy has been recommended to help her cope with these issues.

Conclusion: We alleged that the Trust failed to treat our client’s caesarean wound infection and as a result the infection was neglected, leading to the development of sepsis.  The claim was fully denied by the Trust.  We challenged their response which led to the Trust making a very reasonable offer of settlement, which our client accepted.

This case highlights the critical importance of thorough and timely postnatal care. The negligence in our client’s care led to severe physical and psychological consequences. The support and intervention of SJP Law were crucial in addressing these failures and securing the necessary treatment and compensation for our client.

Our client had the following to say about our service:-

“The service I received was beyond professional. The member of staff that dealt with my case was very understanding and patient with me. It gave me piece of mind and took the stress out of it all for me.

Thank you to Emma White, you are the most professional and understanding person I have ever dealt with and made the whole process easy.”