SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity) Awareness Month 2018

The 1^st June 2018, marks the start of SANDS (Stillbirth And Neonatal Death charity) Awareness Month.

This is an annual event run by SANDS to raise awareness of the facts and impacts relating to neonatal deaths and stillbirths.  The aim of the month is to raise funds as well as awareness to support research into neonatal death.  SANDS is a national charity which provides free support to bereaved parents and relies on donations to be able to provide this service.

This year’s Awareness Month is using orange and blue bunting and lights to highlight events.

Sadly, up to 15 babies a day die during pregnancy and labour or shortly after birth in the UK.  The loss of a child in such circumstances is utterly devastating and can affect the parents’ mental well-being, their relationships and work-life, in addition to any physical injuries suffered by the mother, which can have long lasting consequences.  The wider public are not always aware of the full impact of such a tragedy.

Often the cause of the child’s death is unknown, with parents being left with no answers as to why it happened.  However, sometimes the cause can be as a result of negligent medical treatment, for example negligent monitoring of the baby, problems with the placenta during delivery of the child, a lack of oxygen during labour or shortly after birth or poor resuscitation, and the parents will want to find out what went wrong.

Here, at Williamsons, we have the experience in providing the help and reassurance to those parents as well as a sympathetic ear. We strive to leave no stone unturned and in addition to seeking compensation, we strive to highlight failings to attempt to prevent those failings occurring to other parents.  An apology and changes to procedures following a legal investigation into a stillbirth or neonatal death can also offer reassurance to the parents that the same failing will not occur again.

If you have experienced Stillbirth or Neonatal Death you can contact SANDS which is there to support bereaved families after such an event. More information on the assistance SANDS offers can be found here (https://www.uk-sands.org/).

If you require any further information about Stillbirths or Neonatal Deaths, please contact our Clinical Negligence Department who are there to support you through this difficult time.