Stillbirth Compensation Claims
Check if you can claim compensation
Nothing prepares you for losing your baby, and no legal page can soften that. If you believe the care you received during pregnancy or labour fell short, we can help you find out what happened and, where negligence contributed, bring a stillbirth compensation claim. There is no deadline pressure from us, and nothing happens until you are ready.
Regulated solicitors
Years' experience
No Win No Fee
Can you make a stillbirth compensation claim?
Most stillbirths are not caused by anyone’s failure, and we would never suggest otherwise. But some follow warning signs that were there to be acted on: reduced movements reported and not investigated, monitoring misread, a mother’s concerns set aside. Families in that position often sense that something was missed long before anyone confirms it.
A stillbirth compensation claim examines two things through your maternity records and independent experts: whether the care fell below a reasonable standard, and whether better care would, more likely than not, have changed the outcome. If you were let down, the claim can be brought on a No Win No Fee basis, and we will be honest with you at every stage about where it stands.
When stillbirth is due to negligence
Maternity care is built on watching and responding: growth scans, heart rate monitoring, blood pressure checks, and taking a mother seriously when she says something feels different. Where a stillbirth is due to negligence, it is usually because one of those safeguards did not work as it should have.
That can mean a call about reduced movements that led nowhere, a CTG trace that was misread or not escalated, a baby measuring small without follow-up, or a condition like pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes that was not managed closely enough. If any of this matches your experience, it is a reasonable question to ask, and you are entitled to ask it.
births in the UK ended in stillbirth in 2022
That represents 2,680 babies, or around eight every day. Hospital care following a stillbirth should be reviewed, with parents invited to raise questions and discuss the findings. If the review identifies possible failures in care, it may support further investigation into a negligence claim.
Failures that can lead to a stillbirth negligence claim
These are some of the failures commonly seen in stillbirth negligence claims. Your experience may be different, so tell us what happened in your own words.
Reduced movements not acted on
You reported that your baby was moving less, and it was not investigated urgently or was put down to a quiet spell.
Monitoring errors during labour
A CTG trace showing distress that was misread, not escalated to senior staff, or not acted on quickly enough.
Growth problems missed
A baby measuring small for dates, or scans misread, so growth restriction was never picked up or followed through.
Maternal conditions poorly managed
Pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes or cholestasis of pregnancy that was diagnosed late or not monitored closely enough.
Infections not spotted or treated
Signs of infection in pregnancy that were not tested for, diagnosed or treated when they should have been.
Delivery delayed too long
An induction or caesarean that should have happened sooner, or warning signs near the due date that did not change the plan.
The hospital's own reviews can help your claim
After a stillbirth, NHS hospitals are expected to review what happened, and in some circumstances an independent maternity investigation is carried out as well. Many parents are never clearly told what these reviews concluded, or that they can ask for them.
Those findings can matter enormously. Where a review has already identified things that should have been done differently, it gives your claim a strong starting point, and it often gives families something they have been waiting for: an honest account of what went wrong. We can request these documents for you and explain, in plain language, what they say.
- The hospital's perinatal mortality review of your baby's death
- An independent maternity safety investigation, where one was carried out
- The trust's response to any complaint you raised
- Post-mortem or placental findings, where you chose to have them
You do not need any of these in hand to contact us. We can request them on your behalf, and nothing is read or shared without your agreement.
- The mother's physical injuries and the trauma of the birth
- Psychiatric injury, which in some circumstances can include a partner's claim
- Counselling and therapy, for as long as it is needed
- Funeral costs, time off work and extra care in a future pregnancy
What stillbirth compensation actually covers
No amount of money measures the loss of a baby, and the law does not pretend it can. What a claim does is recognise the harm done to you: the physical injury and trauma the mother went through, the psychological impact on both parents, and the practical costs that follow a loss no family plans for.
Because every family’s circumstances are different, we will not put a number on your claim before independent experts have reported. What we will do is explain, early and in plain terms, which of your losses the law can recognise.
What the claim is built on
Almost everything a stillbirth claim needs already exists in writing. Our job is to gather it, put it in front of the right independent experts, and spare you as much of the process as we can.
One conversation is enough to start. Tell us what happened, in your own words, and we take it from there.
No Win No Fee stillbirth claims
Money worries should never decide whether a family gets answers. A stillbirth compensation claim with us costs nothing to start, and if the claim does not succeed, you do not pay for our work, subject to the terms of your agreement.
If it succeeds, a success fee agreed with you in advance comes out of the compensation. You will have that in writing, and explained properly, before anything begins.
Take as long as you need with the paperwork. Nothing is signed until you are comfortable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before starting your claim.
Can you claim compensation for a stillbirth?
Yes, where the stillbirth was due to negligence. That means showing the maternity care fell below a reasonable standard and that better care would probably have changed the outcome. Most stillbirths are not caused by failures in care, so an honest early assessment matters, and that is exactly what we offer, without charge and without pressure.
How much compensation do you get for a stillbirth?
There is no set amount, and we would not trust any website that quotes one. The claim reflects the mother’s physical and psychological injuries, the impact on the family, and financial losses such as counselling, time off work and funeral costs. Your solicitor will explain what applies in your circumstances once the expert evidence is in.
Can my partner claim as well?
In some circumstances, yes. The main claim is usually the mother’s, because the law treats the physical and psychological harm as hers first. A partner who suffered a psychiatric injury may also be able to claim in certain situations, and the rules here are technical, so we will look at your family’s position properly rather than give a one-line answer that fits no one.
Will a claim give us answers about what happened?
For many families, this is the real reason to claim. The process obtains your full records, the hospital’s own review findings, and independent expert opinions on what should have happened. Compensation matters, but so does hearing, clearly and on the record, what went wrong. We treat both as part of the job.
How long after a stillbirth can you claim?
Usually three years, counted from the stillbirth or from when you first had reason to connect it to failures in care, which can be later, for example after a review report arrives. Grief does not run on legal timetables, and nobody should feel rushed, but it is worth an early conversation simply to protect your position. Asking costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Will we have to go to court and relive it all?
Very unlikely. The great majority of these claims settle without a court hearing, because they are decided on records and expert reports rather than on parents giving evidence. If court ever did become necessary, we would prepare you carefully and be beside you throughout, but for most families the process is quieter than they fear.
Tell us about your baby, when you're ready
There is no form of words we expect, and nothing you write here is too little or too much. A member of our team, not a call centre, will read it and come back to you gently.
- Free, no-obligation review
- No Win No Fee available
- SRA-regulated solicitors
Check if you can make a claim
Takes less than 60 seconds
Not sure if you have a claim?
Very few families know for certain that their care fell short, and working that out is not your job. Tell us what you remember, and we will look at the records, ask the right questions, and give you an honest answer, whatever it turns out to be. The conversation is free, private, and led entirely by you.
Related Blogs
