Ending Racial Disparities in Maternal Deaths – MPs [Beuzz]

A report by MPs calls for faster progress to tackle the ‘appalling’ higher death rates among black women and those in poorer areas during childbirth.

The Women and Equalities Commission report says racism has played a key role in creating health disparities.

But the many complex causes are “not yet fully understood” and more funding and maternity staff are also needed.

The NHS in England has said it is committed to making maternity care safer for all women.

The government said it had invested £165million in the maternity workforce and was promoting midwifery careers, with an additional 3,650 training places a year.

Black women are nearly four times more likely than white women to die within six weeks of giving birth, Asian women 1.8 times more likely, according to UK figures for 2018-20.

And women in the poorest parts of the country, where a higher proportion of ethnic minority babies are born, according to the report, are two and a half times more likely to die than those in the wealthiest.

Caroline Nokes, who chairs the committee, said births on the NHS “are among the safest in the world”, but the increased risk for black women was “shocking” and the improvement in disparities between different groups was too slowly.

“It’s frankly shameful that we’ve known about these disparities for at least 20 years – it can’t take another 20 years to resolve,” she added.

Sandra Igwe started her own pressure group to campaign for better care for black mothers after the traumatic births of her two daughters.

On both occasions, she says, she was not listened to.

“I felt like they stereotyped me,” Sandra says. “They weren’t exactly nice or caring – they ignored my pain and fired me when I cried and begged for pain relief.

“Actually, they didn’t believe I was in pain.

Sandra complained about the way she was treated, saying the system had “worked against me”.

Black and Asian women die from the same causes as other women, but more frequently. The most common are heart problems, blood clots, sepsis and suicide.

Of the more than two million women who had babies in 2018-2020, 229 died in childbirth. This equates to 10.47 per 100,000, down from 8.79 in 2017-19, although lower than rates 15 years ago.

But death rates vary by ethnicity:

The committee report was compiled after two days of interviews with medical specialists, charities, experts and government ministers.

He says staffing shortages in maternity care are the biggest concern. But women from ethnic minorities also feel they are not listened to or understood during pregnancy and childbirth. And the report highlights that the government and the NHS have underestimated the key role of racism in creating inequalities in care.

Tinuke Awe of Five X More told the committee that more than 42% of women interviewed by the charity had felt discriminated against during their maternity care.

Amy Gibbs of the charity Birthrights said black and Asian women felt unsafe due to a lack of choice about their maternity care options.

The vast majority of women who die, of all ethnicities, had multiple and complex health conditions, the committee heard – but their risks were not always communicated to relevant staff.

According to the report, more money is needed to expand the workforce to provide safe and personalized care to pregnant women, along with a clear cross-government strategy and goal for improvement.

It is also recommended to collect more information on the ethnic origin of women who give birth and to ensure that black women are better represented in research.

An NHS England official said it was committed to ensuring ‘all women receive high quality care before, during and after pregnancy’ and provided £6.8million to help local health systems to reduce inequalities.

“Despite improvements to maternity services in England over the past decade, we know there is still much to be done – and we will consider the committee’s recommendations as we continue to take steps to make maternity care safer, more personalized and more equitable for all women, babies and families,” the official said.

A Department of Health and Social Care official said the NHS was already one of the safest places to give birth in the world, but the department was “absolutely clear that we need to make sure maternity care is same high level, regardless of race”.

The government said the Maternity Disparities Task Force – made up of mothers, clinicians and key organizations – is focusing on how to eradicate disparities and improve maternity outcomes for all women. mothers.