New maternity resources come in the wake of a new government report that highlights the stark inequity in maternity outcomes and care experienced by black women in England.
The General Medical Council (GMC) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have published new maternity resources to support patient mental health, tackle discrimination and poor workplace behaviours, and remain compassionate under pressure.
Publication of the resources follows a stark warning from the GMC that harmful cultures are putting mothers and babies at risk.
Healthcare Today has consistently highlighted the issue of maternity safety, such as maternity services at Swansea Bay University Health Board and those at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
At the beginning of September, a report from the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) reiterated that challenges in maternity and neonatal safety are the result of systemic issues at a national level, rather than isolated issues within local areas.
What has been dubbed by the GMC as an “ethical hub” is an attempt to place a spotlight on the need to tackle inequalities in perinatal care and address disparities – particularly for patients from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Stark inequity
The advice comes as the publication of The House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee Report on Black Maternal Health highlights the stark inequity in maternity outcomes and care experienced by black women in England.
It follows a 2016 report which found that “[B]abies that are black or black British Asian or Asian British have a more than 50% higher risk of perinatal mortality”. It was backed up by a study from Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries that found that between 2021 and 2023, black women were 2.3 times more likely to die in pregnancy, childbirth or the postnatal period than white women.
Publication of the report follows an inquiry in June last year to examine the reasons for slow progress in improving outcomes for black and brown women giving birth, despite government policies and taskforces. The committee heard from black mothers who had experienced poor maternity care, including concerns being dismissed, delayed clinical responses, and patchy postnatal care.
“The UK must tackle the unequal and unfair differences in maternal health outcomes and experiences of care for black and minoritised women. We have known about these disparities for many years,” said Marian Knight, director of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU).
