Systemic racism affects maternity care for black women in England, say MPs

"Black women in England are still facing poorer outcomes in their maternity care due to systemic racism, alongside failures in leadership and data collection, according to a group of MPs. Across the UK, black women are more than twice as likely to die in childbirth compared with their white counterparts, while babies born to black mothers are at an increased risk of stillbirth."

"A report by the health and social care committee found that these disproportionately poor outcomes in maternity care for black women were due to a combination of factors including systemic failures in accountability and leadership, with black women's concerns not taken seriously due to bias, stereotyping and racist assumptions. Safe maternal care for Black women depends on a workforce that listens to, understands and respects their needs, according to Paulette Hamilton, Labour's MP for Birmingham Erdington and acting chair of the committee."

"Leadership must be effective but it must also be accountable. This report proves that this is not, currently, the case. She added that the government's upcoming investigation into NHS maternity care must be a turning point for black women in particular. In-built structural racism in maternity services repeatedly fails Black women. Acknowledging this and addressing racial disparities in maternal outcomes must be one of the investigation's core aims, she added."

"The committee also found that given these disparities, it was indefensible that cultural competency training was not mandatory for NHS staff working across maternity services. They urged the government, the Royal College of Midwives and the Nursing and Midwifery Council to make the training compulsory for all staff, and that the training should be informed directly by the experience of black women. Inadequate data collection was also cited as a factor for the ethnic disparities across maternity care, with the committee"

Black women in England experience disproportionately poor maternity outcomes driven by systemic racism, leadership failures, bias, stereotyping and racist assumptions. Black women across the UK are more than twice as likely to die in childbirth than white counterparts, and babies born to Black mothers face higher stillbirth risk. Safe maternal care requires a workforce that listens to, understands and respects Black women's needs, and leadership that is effective and accountable. Cultural competency training should be mandatory and informed by Black women's experience. Inadequate data collection and lack of accountability perpetuate ethnic disparities in maternity care.

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