Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the neonatal conditions were that accounted for successful wrongful birth claims between 2003 and 2013.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The following table shows the number of successful claims for wrongful birth made in each year between 2003 and 2013, and how much the National Health Service has paid out to date for those claims:
NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA) notification year | Number of Claims | Damages Paid (£) | Defence Costs Paid (£) | Claimant Costs Paid (£) | Total Paid
(£) |
2013-14 | 16 | 13,000 | 55,109 | 0 | 68,109 |
2012-13 | 20 | 624,335 | 222,348 | 268,900 | 1,115,583 |
2011-12 | 11 | 5,460,470 | 473,481 | 475,000 | 6,408,951 |
2010-11 | 21 | 7,537,000 | 428,718 | 1,214,400 | 9,180,118 |
2009-10 | 12 | 4,240,211 | 197,724 | 346,600 | 4,784,535 |
2008-09 | 19 | 4,563,663 | 538,787 | 2,012,112 | 7,114,562 |
2007-08 | 16 | 15,572,500 | 615,220 | 1,936,385 | 18,124,105 |
2006-07 | 10 | 2,326,500 | 188,381 | 477,699 | 2,992,580 |
2005-06 | 11 | 6,886,680 | 608,207 | 1,182,508 | 8,677,396 |
2004-05 | 11 | 11,446,226 | 585,664 | 1,407,305 | 13,439,194 |
2003-04 | 17 | 19,046,063 | 976,620 | 3,280,661 | 23,303,344 |
Total | 164 | 77,716,648 | 4,890,259 | 12,601,570 | 95,208,477 |
A further 83 unsuccessful claims were brought during this period, the following table shows how much the NHS LA spent on defence costs in each year:
NHS LA Notification Year | Closed with nil damages | ||||
Number of Claims | Damages Paid (£) | Defence Costs Paid (£) | Claimant Costs Paid (£) | Total Paid
(£) | |
2013-14 | 8 | 0 | 8,870 | 0 | 8,870 |
2012-13 | 10 | 0 | 57,836 | 0 | 57,836 |
2011-12 | 6 | 0 | 18,946 | 0 | 18,946 |
2010-11 | 9 | 0 | 69,630 | 0 | 69,630 |
2009-10 | 3 | 0 | 9,765 | 0 | 9,765 |
2008-09 | 11 | 0 | 32,061 | 6 | 32,067 |
2007-08 | 5 | 0 | 50,415 | 0 | 50,415 |
2006-07 | 7 | 0 | 60,314 | 0 | 60,314 |
2005-06 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2004-05 | 11 | 0 | 51,727 | 0 | 51,727 |
2003-04 | 10 | 0 | 99,996 | 0 | 99,996 |
Total | 83 | 0 | 459,560 | 6 | 459,565 |
Of the 164 successful claims, 60 cases remain open (i.e. the NHS LA has not resolved all aspects of the claim, e.g. they have agreed damages but not yet paid them or they have paid some or all of the damages but not yet agreed claimants costs). The 104 closed claims have been analysed to produce the following table of neonatal conditions/ other reasons why the claims were brought:
Neonatal conditions/other causes of claim | Number of Claims |
Anaemia | 1 |
Cerebral Palsy | 3 |
Chromosome 9 deformity | 1 |
Congenital abnormalities | 24 |
Connective tissue disease | 1 |
Cystic fibrosis | 4 |
Downs Syndrome | 8 |
Failed contraceptive implant/procedure - Healthy baby | 8 |
Failed sterilisation - Healthy baby | 24 |
Failed sterilisation - kidney damage | 1 |
Failed sterilisation - potential learning difficulties | 1 |
Failed sterilisation - termination undertaken | 1 |
Failed termination - brain injury | 1 |
Failed termination - healthy baby | 6 |
Failure to diagnose pregnancy - healthy baby | 1 |
Heart defect | 1 |
HIV | 1 |
Inaccurate fertility advice - healthy baby | 1 |
Inherited blood disorder - Beta thalassaemia | 1 |
Muscular skeletal abnormalities | 1 |
Ornithine trans carboxylase (OTC) deficiency | 2 |
Safeguarding failure (vulnerable mother) – child has behavioural problems | 1 |
Safeguarding failure (vulnerable mother) - healthy child | 1 |
Sickle Cell Trait | 3 |
Spina bifida | 3 |
Unwanted extra uterine pregnancy. Maternal injury. No evidence of neonatal conditions | 1 |
Unwanted pregnancy - No evidence of neonatal conditions | 2 |
Wolf Hirschhon Syndrome | 1 |
Total | 104 |
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what diseases are routinely screened for in antenatal screening in NHS hospitals.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The UK National Screening Committee provides advice to Ministers on screening issues. It will continue to keep all antenatal screening programmes under review and will advise further when appropriate.
All pregnant women are offered screening for thalassaemia, hepatitis B, HIV, rubella susceptibility and syphilis. A test for sickle cell is offered if the fetus is identified of being at higher risk of this condition.
All pregnant women are also offered ultrasound scans during their pregnancy. This screening identifies Down’s syndrome, and major structural anomalies such as anencephaly, open spina bifida, cleft lip, diaphragmatic hernia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, serious cardiac abnormalities, bilateral renal agenesis, lethal skeletal dyslasia, Edwards’ syndrome (Trisomy 18) and Patau’s syndrome (Trisomy 13).
To obtain how much the National Health Service has spent on antenatal screening in the last year would be at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on antenatal screening in the last year.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The UK National Screening Committee provides advice to Ministers on screening issues. It will continue to keep all antenatal screening programmes under review and will advise further when appropriate.
All pregnant women are offered screening for thalassaemia, hepatitis B, HIV, rubella susceptibility and syphilis. A test for sickle cell is offered if the fetus is identified of being at higher risk of this condition.
All pregnant women are also offered ultrasound scans during their pregnancy. This screening identifies Down’s syndrome, and major structural anomalies such as anencephaly, open spina bifida, cleft lip, diaphragmatic hernia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, serious cardiac abnormalities, bilateral renal agenesis, lethal skeletal dyslasia, Edwards’ syndrome (Trisomy 18) and Patau’s syndrome (Trisomy 13).
To obtain how much the National Health Service has spent on antenatal screening in the last year would be at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to (a) widen NHS antenatal screening to cover more diseases and (b) offer the option of further screening to more women.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The UK National Screening Committee provides advice to Ministers on screening issues. It will continue to keep all antenatal screening programmes under review and will advise further when appropriate.
All pregnant women are offered screening for thalassaemia, hepatitis B, HIV, rubella susceptibility and syphilis. A test for sickle cell is offered if the fetus is identified of being at higher risk of this condition.
All pregnant women are also offered ultrasound scans during their pregnancy. This screening identifies Down’s syndrome, and major structural anomalies such as anencephaly, open spina bifida, cleft lip, diaphragmatic hernia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, serious cardiac abnormalities, bilateral renal agenesis, lethal skeletal dyslasia, Edwards’ syndrome (Trisomy 18) and Patau’s syndrome (Trisomy 13).
To obtain how much the National Health Service has spent on antenatal screening in the last year would be at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their strategy towards the treatment of sickle cell disease.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The vast majority of sickle cell disease (SCD) affected children born in England are identified by the NHS Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening programme, and other patients may present through migration or late diagnosis
SCD is a lifelong condition, and NHS England provides high quality care for patients with SCD as part of its specialised commissioning responsibilities. NHS England’s Haemaglobinopathies service specification clearly sets out what providers must have in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services.
Although SCD patient care will be coordinated by a Specialist Haemoglobinopathy Centre (SHC), the majority of care may be delivered outside of the SHC by a range of providers. The configuration of care provision will be based on local prevalence, expertise and availability of service providers, and this may include acute hospitals, community care, primary care and the voluntary sector.
Information concerning the number of SCD patients in each parliamentary constituency is not collected. However, NHS England’s service specification sets out that there are around 15,000 patients with SCD living in England at present. In England SCD occurs predominantly, but not exclusively, in ethnic minority communities. It is the most common inherited condition in England and around 350 babies with SCD are born each year.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what trends they have identified in the prevalence of sickle cell disease in the United Kingdom over the last 10 years.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The vast majority of sickle cell disease (SCD) affected children born in England are identified by the NHS Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening programme, and other patients may present through migration or late diagnosis
SCD is a lifelong condition, and NHS England provides high quality care for patients with SCD as part of its specialised commissioning responsibilities. NHS England’s Haemaglobinopathies service specification clearly sets out what providers must have in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services.
Although SCD patient care will be coordinated by a Specialist Haemoglobinopathy Centre (SHC), the majority of care may be delivered outside of the SHC by a range of providers. The configuration of care provision will be based on local prevalence, expertise and availability of service providers, and this may include acute hospitals, community care, primary care and the voluntary sector.
Information concerning the number of SCD patients in each parliamentary constituency is not collected. However, NHS England’s service specification sets out that there are around 15,000 patients with SCD living in England at present. In England SCD occurs predominantly, but not exclusively, in ethnic minority communities. It is the most common inherited condition in England and around 350 babies with SCD are born each year.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many patients in each parliamentary constituency have sickle cell disease.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The vast majority of sickle cell disease (SCD) affected children born in England are identified by the NHS Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening programme, and other patients may present through migration or late diagnosis
SCD is a lifelong condition, and NHS England provides high quality care for patients with SCD as part of its specialised commissioning responsibilities. NHS England’s Haemaglobinopathies service specification clearly sets out what providers must have in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services.
Although SCD patient care will be coordinated by a Specialist Haemoglobinopathy Centre (SHC), the majority of care may be delivered outside of the SHC by a range of providers. The configuration of care provision will be based on local prevalence, expertise and availability of service providers, and this may include acute hospitals, community care, primary care and the voluntary sector.
Information concerning the number of SCD patients in each parliamentary constituency is not collected. However, NHS England’s service specification sets out that there are around 15,000 patients with SCD living in England at present. In England SCD occurs predominantly, but not exclusively, in ethnic minority communities. It is the most common inherited condition in England and around 350 babies with SCD are born each year.