Maternity care in England has been under scrutiny in recent times due to the number of birth injury claims. Data from NHS England revealed hundreds of families who had submitted claims for maternity-related negligence. The most commonly reported issues were unnecessary pains (99 claims), psychiatric or psychological damage (98), stillbirth (95), brain damage (93), fatality (86), and cerebral palsy (66). This post will explore the key findings on birth injuries between 2022 and 2024 and what these numbers reveal about maternity care in England.

Injury Breakdown – Types & Main Causes

The data from NHS England revealed that there were three primary causes for claims to be made. These include:

Failure or delay of treatment (73 cases)

Failure of delay of treatment can involve delays in performing emergency C-sections or appropriate care when complications of childbirth arise.

Failure to recognize complications (11 cases)

Following this, there were 11 cases where a failure to recognize complications was the cause and resulted in avoidable birth injuries.

Failure to respond to abnormal fetal heart rates (10 cases)

There were also 10 cases of a failure to respond to abnormal fetal heart rates, which could have been avoided with timely intervention.

Data showing the primary cause for birth injury claims reveals the concerns of patients and the shortcomings of maternity care in the NHS. For families affected by this, no win no fee medical negligence solicitors provide an accessible avenue to compensation.

Geography & Money – Hotspots & Financial Scope

It is also worth looking at the data from a regional perspective. The data clearly shows that there were a handful of NHS Trusts that had much higher claim numbers than others. These are:

  • Manchester (33 claims)
  • Nottingham (28 claims)
  • Barts in London (27 claims)
  • King’s College (26 claims)
  • Liverpool Women’s (25)

Of course, it is important to put this data into context. Larger NHS Trusts will manage more complex births and have higher patient volumes, so these higher claim numbers do not necessarily indicate poorer care quality. From a financial standpoint, birth injury claims tend to be among the most expensive for the NHS. This is because birth injuries can result in lifelong care and psychological support for families.

Looking Ahead

So, what can healthcare providers, policy-makers, and expectant parents learn from this data from the NHS? In September 2025, the NHS plans to launch the national ABC (Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth) program. This is an initiative designed to reduce preventable birth injuries, particularly cerebral palsy, by improving clinical awareness and response times.

There has also been a joint report by Sand’s and Tommy’s, which warns that England will not meet the stillbirth and neonatal deaths target by 2025 and recommends renewed government action. At the same time, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) calls for system-wide reform with improved oversight, consistent national standards, and improved workforce planning.

Overall, it is clear from the data that there needs to be more done to improve maternity care in England and to prevent avoidable birth injuries that can cause significant harm to families.