'National emergency' in maternity care as black and Asian mothers facing higher risk of death than white women
Data reveals that during the immediate postnatal period, Asian women are 1.3 times more likely to die than white women
Anti-racism training will be embedded into midwifery courses at universities amid warnings of a 'national emergency' in maternity care with black and ethnic minority women more at risk of death than white mothers.
Figures show Black women are three times more likely to die during pregnancy or in the immediate postnatal period than white women, while the risk to Asian women is 1.3 times as high.
Data also reveals that Black babies are over twice as likely to be stillborn as white babies and Asian babies 50% more likely.
The new anti-racism initiative, launched by Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), comes in a bid to address the wide disparities in maternity care.
Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is already referenced in all midwifery education however the NMC said there was "much more that can be done" to make anti-racism and unconscious bias awareness more explicit.
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The regulator will design the principles over the next few weeks and aims to publish them by late spring. It will then ask all universities to work to the principles from the start of the next academic year.
Paul Rees MBE, Chief Executive and Registrar of the NMC, said: “Every day, thousands of midwives deliver safe, kind and equitable care that brings joy to women and families across the UK.
“However, for far too many families, that has not been the case, with absolutely devastating consequences.
“The evidence is clear that racism within maternity services compounds the problem. Black and Asian women are more likely to die during pregnancy or in the immediate postnatal period, and their babies are more likely to be stillborn.
“The situation is totally unacceptable and is a national emergency."
Sharon Hodgson MP, Public Health Minister, Department for Health and Social Care, said: "The stark disparities in outcomes for Black and Asian mothers and babies are unacceptable, and tackling them is a priority for this government.
"I welcome the NMC's commitment to embedding anti-racism principles across midwifery education, and I'm determined that we use every lever available to close these devastating gaps in maternal outcomes.
The figures released by MBRRACE, a research unit investigating maternal deaths, found that between 2021 and 2023, 257 women died during or up to six weeks after pregnancy, out of 2,004,184 women who gave birth in the UK.
The average death rate was 12.82 women for every 100,000 giving birth. Among black women this rose to 28.21 per 100,000 women giving birth.
The maternal mortality rate for Asian women was 16.74 per 100,000.
It found that mothers from ethnic minority backgrounds were twice as likely to die up to or during childbirth than white women.
Gill Walton, Chief Executive, Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said: "That Black, Asian and minority ethnic women continue to face such stark inequalities in maternity care is a disgrace and tackling this must be an urgent priority for the whole profession. The NMC's new anti-racism principles are a vital step in the right direction.
Professor Nicola Ranger, General Secretary and Chief Executive, Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said: “By embedding anti-racism, unconscious bias awareness, and cultural competence training further into the learning of all midwives and nurses, we give our next generation of registrants the best chance of eradicating these unacceptable health inequalities once and for all.
"These new principles can be a vital step in bringing much-needed change in nursing and midwifery – whatever your race you always need to feel safe, cared for and listened to.”