Last week, THEMIS Clinical Defence had the privilege of joining the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) for their Perinatal Mental Health Conference, an important moment in the ongoing conversation about how we care for women during and after pregnancy.
Our Senior In-House Counsel, Neil Rowe, delivered a talk titled “Perinatal Mental Health – Avoiding Claims,” drawing on over 30 years of experience in clinical negligence law. But this wasn’t just about legal frameworks and claim statistics. It was about people; mothers, babies, clinicians, and the human impact when systems fail or voices go unheard.
Neil’s message was clear: good communication, continuity of care, and early intervention aren’t just best clinical practice; they’re essential safeguards for mental health and legal protection alike. His session covered everything from missed diagnoses to fragmented care, highlighting real-world examples where outcomes could have been better with earlier listening, clearer documentation, and joined-up support.
Too often, patients say they felt invisible during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives: “No one listened.” “I was alone.” These aren’t just sad stories, they’re red flags we must pay attention to. As Neil reminded the room, trauma isn’t always physical. Psychological harm can last just as long, if not longer, and must be treated with the same seriousness.
At THEMIS, our role is to stand and the bedside of clinicians; not only when things go wrong, but to help prevent issues in the first place. We provide contractual, non-discretionary indemnity, which means our support is clear and dependable. But we also go further, offering practical risk management, legal insight, and training to help our policyholders deliver care that’s safe, kind, and well-defended.
The conference itself brought together healthcare professionals, legal experts, and policymakers in the spirit of collaboration. THEMIS was proud to contribute to that conversation, advocating for a trauma-informed culture where listening, supporting, and documenting are second nature.
Perinatal mental health is gaining the attention it rightly deserves. As it does, the integration of legal understanding into everyday clinical decision-making becomes more essential. We believe that when clinicians feel supported and informed, everyone benefits, especially the women and families they care for.
Let’s keep listening. Let’s keep learning. And let’s work together to protect those who need us most.
