Written by Amy Beecham
The initiative aims to help make the NHS safer for women giving birth.
A new NHS taskforce has been set up to help tackle inequality and disparity in maternity care in the UK following studies that suggest Black women are 40% more likely to miscarry than white, with maternal death rates higher among Black and Asian women.
Deprived areas, such as Birmingham, also have the highest rates of neonatal mortality and stillbirths at 11.4 per 1,000, as well as a high prematurity rate.
Covid-19 has only widened health inequalities in England and as such, the initiative will address how wider societal issues, such as systemic racism, affect maternal health and aims to empower women to make evidence-based decisions about their care.
The Maternity Disparities taskforce is set to meet every two months, with a focus on taking action to improve personalised care and support plans, increasing access to maternity care for all women and developing targeted support for those from the most vulnerable groups.
Chief midwifery officer Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, who will co-chair the taskforce, said: “The NHS’s ambition is to be the safest place in the world to be pregnant, give birth and transition into parenthood – all women who use our maternity services should receive the best care possible.”
Alongside the taskforce, the government announced that the NHS is increasing the maternity workforce further, with a £95 million recruitment drive to hire 1,200 more midwives and 100 obstetricians.
In a statement, minister for women’s health, Maria Caulfield, wrote: “For too long disparities have persisted which mean women living in deprived areas or from ethnic monitory backgrounds are less likely to get the care they need, and worse, lose their child. We must do better to understand and address the causes of this.
“The Maternity Disparities Taskforce will help level-up maternity care across the country, bringing together a wide range of experts to deliver real and ambitious change so we can improve care for all women, and I will be monitoring progress closely.”
Images: Getty
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