Racial Disparities in Maternal Health Outcomes in the News
This week the Women and Equalities Committee released a landmark report calling for faster progress to tackle racial disparities in maternal health outcomes in the UK. Read on for what they had to say and what you can do to help close the gap. (Note: This article discusses disparities in maternal deaths. Please read with care).
What is the report?
The Women and Equalities Committee is a cross-parliamentary group set up in 2015 to examine policy on equalities issues (sex, age, race, sexual orientation, disability, transgender and gender identity issues).
This year’s focus was on the racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. The group interviewed many experts and people with lived experience of the issue, over a series of months, taking verbal and written evidence in a number of round-table meetings.
On Tuesday, the committee released it’s report, and it pulled no punches.
“It is frankly shameful that we have known about these disparities for at least 20 years - it cannot take another 20 to resolve.”
What were the report’s findings?
The 43 page report highlights the testimony and evidence collected during the months-long inquiry, offering recommendations for actions that the Government needs to take to reduce the racial disparities in maternal health outcomes in the UK.
The report concludes that current measures being taken are “necessary but insufficient” and that both the Government and NHS leadership have underestimated the scale of the problem, and how racism plays a role in perpetuating inequalities.
What now?
Ultimately, the Government now needs to respond to the recommendations, although they are under no obligation to commit to the actions in the report. The Committee is calling for more funding into research, as well as more training for healthcare staff and more midwives in the sector, as staff shortages and a stretched workforce is also thought to be impacting patient care.
The report concludes that the problems are complex and multifaceted, but that the issue urgently needs to be prioritised in order to prevent more unnecessary deaths.
Closing the Gap
We agree with MP Caroline Nokes’ view that the lack of progress on this issue is “frankly shameful”. This is why we worked with leading inclusion and healthcare experts to create Closing the Gap, a free online workshop for health professionals working in perinatal services, addressing the racial inequalities in maternal health outcomes.
Whether you are directly impacted by systemic racism in perinatal care or not, we ALL have a role to play in creating change. And there IS something you can do to help get the word out there about this free workshop. For just a few seconds of your life, you could save someone else’s.
Action 1:
Use our template to email your GP surgery and local maternity unit to tell them about the workshop
Action 2:
Download the Closing the Gap leaflet and take it to your next midwife appointment.
Action 3:
Forward this blog post to any healthcare professionals you know - and urge them to do the same.
“Inspire others by being a champion of positive change. This will help to improve outcomes for all pregnant and birthing people.”
All healthcare professionals who complete the workshop can download a certificate for CPD recording purposes, as well as request a free badge to wear on their lanyard to show that they’ve completed the training. This signals to patients that they are a healthcare provider who understands the importance of taking an anti-racist approach to their care.
