Slater and Gordon partner with MASIC Foundation

Slater and Gordon is partnering with the MASIC Foundation, a charity run by women injured in childbirth and health professionals, which is committed to advocating for women and calling for better detection and prevention of birth injuries.

MASIC is the only multi-disciplinary charity in the UK to support women who have suffered OASI (Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries) during childbirth, and in addition to its online resources, it also holds a number of support groups across England and Wales.

Slater and Gordon has a long history in supporting women after birth injuries, enabling them to secure the treatment and interventions they need to move on with their lives after such a traumatic and intimate injury.

Recently, the law firm was instructed to support Brittany Dryden, whose anal sphincter injury after the birth of her first child went undetected, and was made significantly worse after giving birth for a second time.

Brittany said her experience, at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, left her feeling “completely broken and no longer like a woman”. She continues to experience incontinence and flatulence, six years after the birth of her second child.

Emma Doughty, head of clinical negligence at Slater and Gordon, says: “All too often we hear about women being injured during childbirth, and sometimes they are not detected until long afterwards, leaving women to deal with ongoing physical and psychological symptoms without understanding exactly what has happened to their body. This only compounds the trauma and ordeal they face.

“We are committed to pushing for better standards in maternity care, as well as the need to do more to protect mothers from injury and trauma. The work of MASIC in addressing this, and supporting women after OASI, is outstanding and much-needed. We are very pleased to partner with them and to support their work in every way we can.”

Chloe Oliver, chief executive of MASIC, says: “We are delighted to welcome Slater and Gordon to our trusted panel of legal partners. The long-term emotional and physical impact of having a birth injury cannot be underestimated, and it’s vital that women can access legal advice should they feel they have a claim to pursue.

“We look forward to working with Emma and her team in supporting women who are trying to navigate the often complex healthcare systems whilst coping with their birth injury.”