Advice on London retained placenta compensation claims and how our solicitors could help you obtain the maximum payout possible.
If you developed an infection, heavy bleeding, prolonged pain, or needed emergency treatment because a retained placenta wasn’t identified or properly managed after birth, you may have grounds to pursue retained placenta compensation. In many cases, it’s not the retained placenta itself that leads to a claim, but avoidable delays, missed warning signs, poor aftercare, or failures to follow safe clinical processes that cause you harm.
That’s where we can help. At Medical Negligence Solicitors Direct, we speak with London-based patients every week who feel unsure about what “counts” as negligence, what evidence matters, or whether their experience is “serious enough”. We’ll listen carefully, explain your options in plain English, and, if you have a case, help you start a No Win No Fee medical negligence claim.
If you’d like to talk it through, you can call 0203 846 1981 or contact us to discuss what happened and what you can do next. And if you want to understand the process first, the rest of this guide walks you through when claims are possible, what evidence can help, and what compensation is designed to cover.
If you’re based in London and want to claim retained placenta compensation, why not call for a free initial consultation today?
You can usually claim retained placenta compensation when two things are in place: medical negligence and a clear link between that negligence and your injury (known as causation). In other words, it’s not about having a difficult birth, it’s about whether you were failed by the standard of care you should reasonably have received.
A claim doesn’t require you to “prove” negligence on your own at the start. The early stage is about gathering information and checking whether the care fell below a reasonable standard.
If you think your postnatal symptoms were dismissed or treatment was delayed, we can review what happened and explain whether you may be able to start a retained placenta compensation claim. The best way to confirm your options is to call for a free consultation. So, why not get in touch with our experts today?
Retained placenta compensation claims often come down to missed chances, a moment where the right check, the right response, or the right follow-up could have reduced the harm.
Here are common ways negligent care may occur in retained placenta cases:
Failure to recognise warning signs after delivery (for example ongoing heavy bleeding, offensive-smelling discharge, fever, or severe abdominal pain).
Inadequate examination after birth, including not checking whether the placenta was complete when it should have been.
Delayed escalation when symptoms suggested postpartum haemorrhage or infection.
Poor discharge advice (or no clear safety-netting), meaning you weren’t told what symptoms required urgent review.
Failure to arrange appropriate follow-up, particularly after a difficult delivery or where there was already concern about retained products.
Delays in scan/referral, such as not arranging ultrasound when your symptoms indicated it.
Medication errors, including inappropriate antibiotics (wrong choice, dose, or delay) or failure to prescribe when infection was suspected.
Substandard record-keeping, which can go alongside wider problems like missed observations.
In London, that initial missed opportunity might happen anywhere, from a busy maternity unit to an A&E visit after you’ve gone home. Some patients tell us they sought urgent care because something felt “really wrong”, only to be reassured without the right checks.
Every person’s experience is different. But when a retained placenta isn’t managed properly, the consequences can be serious and frightening, especially when you’re trying to recover and care for a newborn.
Potential impacts include:
Postpartum haemorrhage (heavy bleeding), sometimes requiring emergency treatment
Endometritis or other infection, including sepsis in severe cases
Severe abdominal/pelvic pain and prolonged recovery
Emergency surgery such as manual removal under anaesthetic, or procedures like evacuation of retained products
Hospital readmission, sometimes multiple visits before the cause is identified
Anaemia and exhaustion, affecting your ability to function day-to-day
Breastfeeding difficulties where illness, treatment, or stress interferes
Psychological injury, including anxiety, birth trauma symptoms, or low mood
If any of this sounds familiar, you don’t have to guess whether it “counts” as negligence. We can talk through what happened. We’ll advise whether you have a valid retained placenta compensation claim after a free initial consultation.
Please feel free to contact us if you want clarity before deciding what to do next.
Evidence is what turns a painful experience into a properly supported claim. You don’t need to gather everything yourself, but it helps to understand what our team may look for.
In retained placenta compensation claims, we commonly use:
Maternity records, including delivery notes and third-stage management details
Postnatal observation charts, such as temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and recorded blood loss
Placenta and membrane documentation, where recorded, noting completeness
GP and out-of-hours records, especially if you sought help after discharge
Hospital attendance records, including any A&E or urgent care notes
Ultrasound reports and imaging referrals (or evidence they weren’t arranged when they should have been)
Blood test results, such as inflammatory markers or evidence of anaemia
Medication charts, including antibiotics and pain relief
Operation notes if you needed a procedure under anaesthetic
Discharge paperwork and safety-netting advice, showing what you were told (or not told)
Independent medical expert evidence, to assess whether care fell below an acceptable standard and whether that caused your injuries
Whether your care was provided by an NHS trust or a private medical facility, you have legal rights around access to information. We can guide you on requesting records or handle it for you as part of the claim.
You don’t need perfect paperwork to speak with us. Therefore, why not get in touch so that we can help you map out the next steps?
When you’ve been through a traumatic postnatal experience, the last thing you need is a claims process that feels cold or confusing. Our job is to take the legal weight off your shoulders while keeping you informed and in control.
Here’s how we can help you with retained placenta compensation claims:
A calm, confidential initial discussion so you can explain what happened without being rushed
Clear advice on whether you may have a claim, including an honest view on strengths, risks, and likely next steps
Record gathering and case-building, including requesting medical notes and organising evidence
Independent expert input, where appropriate, to assess breach of duty and causation
Handling all correspondence and negotiations, so you don’t have to repeatedly relive events
No Win No Fee options, where suitable, so you can pursue a case without upfront legal fees
Support with rehabilitation needs, where relevant, such as treatment recommendations following infection or surgical complications
A professional but human approach, you’ll know what’s happening and why, without legal jargon
We regularly support people across London boroughs who want answers as well as compensation, whether your care involved a large maternity unit like Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital or community follow-up after discharge.
For more information on how we could help manage your claim, please get in touch today.
Time limits matter, but they’re not always as straightforward as people expect.
In many medical negligence cases, you generally have three years to bring a claim. The clock usually starts from either:
the date of the negligent treatment, or
the date you first realised (or could reasonably have realised) that your injury may have been caused by negligent care (the “date of knowledge”).
There can be important exceptions, including:
Claims involving children (time limits work differently if the injured patient is under 18)
Mental capacity considerations, where limitation may be paused
Situations where the link between symptoms and negligent care only becomes clear later
Even if you feel you’re “outside the time limit”, it’s still worth asking, because the first date you suspected negligence isn’t always the legal date of knowledge.
For a free check on how long you have to claim retained placenta compensation, please feel free to call today.
Compensation in retained placenta compensation claims is designed to recognise what you’ve been through and, where possible, put you back in the position you would have been in if the negligence hadn’t happened.
It usually falls into two broad areas:
General damages: compensation for pain, suffering, and loss of amenity (how your injury affected your daily life)
Special damages: compensation for financial losses and expenses caused by the injury
Depending on your circumstances, compensation may cover:
Physical pain and prolonged recovery after infection, haemorrhage, or surgery
Psychological harm, such as anxiety, panic symptoms, or trauma related to the birth and aftermath
Loss of earnings, if you needed extra time off work or your return was delayed
Care and support costs, including help at home while you recovered (even if provided by family)
Medical expenses, such as prescriptions, private consultations, or counselling
Travel costs to appointments (for example, trips across the city to clinics near London Bridge)
Future treatment needs, where ongoing symptoms require follow-up
If your claim involves a more complex recovery, we can also look at whether interim payments may be appropriate once liability is admitted, so you’re not left struggling financially while the case is ongoing.
The best way to check how much compensation you might be entitled to is to speak with a member of our team. If your claim is taken on, your solicitor will provide a personalised estimate once they’ve assessed your case in detail.
Many London patients hesitate to seek legal advice because they’re worried about cost. A No Win No Fee arrangement (often used for medical negligence claims) can remove that barrier, making it possible to pursue retained placenta compensation without paying legal fees upfront.
Key benefits often include:
No upfront solicitor’s fees to start the claim
Reduced financial risk if the claim doesn’t succeed (subject to the terms of the agreement)
Access to expert evidence and case-building without needing to fund it privately at the outset
A clear explanation of costs from the start, so you know where you stand before you proceed
If you’re considering a retained placenta compensation claim and want to understand whether No Win No Fee could apply to your case, contact us, and we’ll answer your questions clearly and without pressure.
If you’ve suffered due to negligence during childbirth and would like to claim retained placenta compensation, please feel free to get in touch.
To do so, you cancall 0203 846 1981 or contact us online to request a call back.
