Steps, a national charity that supports children and adults affected by a lower limb condition such as clubfoot or a hip condition, has carried out research that shows that more than half of England's primary care trusts have no policy in place to screen newborns for hip problems. The research is being promoted as part of this week’s
Baby Hip Health Awareness Week.
Law firm Leigh Day & Co has represented a number of clients whose congenital hip problems were not picked up by screening leading to serious health problems and repeated surgery. Hip dysplasia is a condition diagnosed in up to 2,000 babies and children each year that if left undetected and untreated, can lead to deformity and disability.
Although a UK-wide screening programme has been in place since 1969 Steps found 69 out of 121 primary care trusts (PCTs) and 11 out of 110 acute trusts in England which responded to their survey had no formal policy.
Sue Banton, founder and director of Steps, said: "Our research highlights a staggering gap in health policy which, if correctly followed, could detect lower limb conditions at an early age and save both parents and children from years of pain and emotional distress. It's frightening so many PCTs are refusing to take responsibility for checking babies' hips, leaving it to GPs and creating massive inconsistency in procedure."
If you think that you may have a possible claim relating an undiagnosed hip problem please contact one of our in-house nurses,
Anne McCrea or
Denise McAneny on 020 7650 1200.
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