What Is Group B Streptococcus (GBS)?
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a common bacteria carried by a high percentage of adults in the UK, often without any symptoms being present. It is normally harmless, but it can cause serious complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
Medical Negligence and GBS – What Can Go Wrong?
All too often there are cases of medical negligence occurring because of several factors, including:
• The signs of infection in a newborn baby not being recognised early enough to enable prompt treatment to be administered.
• Alternatively, if a mother is known to be a carrier of GBS, there are often failures in administration of antibiotics before a baby is born.
These failures can result in devastating outcomes and in newborn babies contracting serious infections such as meningitis or sepsis. It can also result in death or serious long-term disabilities.
Real Case Example – How We Helped
At Bridge McFarland we are experienced in advising families on the consequences of such failures. We were involved in a case where the mother tested positive for GBS during her pregnancy, however, no antibiotics were given to protect her unborn baby. Her baby started to show signs of infection shortly after birth, these signs were not acted upon, and the baby went on to develop meningitis.
This sadly led to the baby suffering a significant neurological injury and developing cerebral palsy. The effect this had on the family was immeasurable. They were now faced with a child with lifelong complex needs and significant physical and cognitive disabilities.
Seeking Answers – Making Your Voice Heard
If your child has suffered complications as a result of mismanagement relating to GBS, or other injuries during pregnancy or childbirth, then you may wish to consider pursuing a claim for medical negligence. No amount of money can make up for the avoidable injuries your child has suffered, but it may be possible to obtain compensation to help put in place a package of support and provision for your child for the rest of their life.
Contact Our Medical Negligence Team
Please seek the answers you deserve and telephone our experienced medical negligence team on 0800 987 8800 or make a free online enquiry here and we will contact you. Alternatively, email us at medneg@bmcf.co.uk.
Medical Negligence Specialists – Bridge McFarland LLP
medicalnegligence.co.uk is owned and operated by Bridge McFarland LLP, an established and nationally recognised law firm renowned for specialist expertise and experience in this complex area of law. With our determination and commitment to providing our clients with an exceptional standard of service, we have held the highly regarded Lexcel quality mark since June 2008.