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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Denis Campbell Health policy editor

Brain damage to babies in birth has cost NHS in England £4.1bn in lawsuits

A newborn baby in a hospital incubator
The figures support claims by the Care Quality Commission that NHS maternity care in England is worsening overall. Photograph: nattrass/Getty Images

The NHS has spent £4.1bn over the last 11 years settling lawsuits involving babies who suffered brain damage when being born, amid claims that maternity units are not learning from mistakes.

It paid out just under £3.6bn in damages in 1,307 cases in which parents were left to care for a baby with cerebral palsy or other forms of brain injury, NHS figures reveal.

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