Informed consent in obstetrics

Mordel v Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust [2019] EWHC 2591 (QB)

NHS Trust was found liable in negligence for the birth of a baby with Down’s syndrome. A sonographer recorded that the mother had declined Down’s syndrome screening when she attended for an ultrasound scan, but she had failed to obtain the mother’s informed consent. She should have checked that the patient and the midwife had discussed screening, that the patient had been given the relevant NHS booklet, and ascertained that the patient understood the basic elements and purposes of screening for Down’s syndrome.