MPs demand Action on Racial Disparities in England‘s Maternity Care
LONDON – A parliamentary committee has issued a scathing report detailing systemic failings in England’s maternity services that disproportionately impact Black women, urging mandatory cultural competency training for all NHS staff and improved data collection. The report, released today, highlights the “indefensible” lack of required cultural sensitivity training and a “blindness” to failings caused by inconsistent recording of ethnicity data.
The committee found critically important ethnic disparities in maternity care, echoing recent findings from the advocacy group five X More, which revealed that almost half of pregnant Black women raise concerns during labor, yet half report those concerns are not adequately addressed.
“For too long, Black women have been ignored in maternity care, and the recommendations in this report highlight that change is overdue. We beleive now is the time to act. Fix it for Black women, fix it for all women,” said Tinuke Awe, a co-founder of Five X More.
The report calls on the government, the Royal College of Midwives, and the Nursing and Midwifery council to make cultural competency training compulsory, ensuring it is informed by the lived experiences of Black women.It also urges accelerated growth of a maternal morbidity indicator, a commitment the government has already made.
Clare Livingstone, head of policy and practice at the Royal College of Midwives, described the increased risk faced by Black women during pregnancy and childbirth as a “disgrace,” stating, “The recommendations in this report must be acted upon urgently.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson acknowledged the issue, stating, “Racism in any form is entirely unacceptable and we are resolute to reduce the shocking disparities that this report addresses.” The department highlighted existing initiatives including an anti-discrimination program, increased midwife training, and new standards to address maternal mortality.
