House of Commons · Westminster Hall
02 November 2022 · 6 other contributors · 11,759 words
Opened by Bell Ribeiro-Addy Lab Clapham and Brixton Hill
Responding minister: Maria Caulfield
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy raised concerns about black maternal health awareness week 2022 in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
The Government should introduce meaningful measures and set clear targets for improving black maternal health outcomes. The Minister is urged to address systemic racism in medical care by launching an inquiry into institutional racism and racial bias in the NHS, as well as in medical education.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
Black women are four times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth, with Asian women twice as likely. Black babies have a 121% increased risk of stillbirth compared to white babies, while black women face higher risks of miscarriage and poor clinical outcomes due to discriminatory care from healthcare professionals.
Expressed concern over the persistent disparity in maternal health outcomes for black mothers, highlighting that this issue has been known about since the early 2000s but progress is still lacking. She praised the work of campaign groups like Five X More and emphasized the importance of Government action to address data collection issues and improve listening to patients' concerns. Nokes also noted the intersectionality faced by black Muslim women in healthcare, stating that their voices are often ignored. She raised concerns about the MBRRACE data collection process, highlighting that some hospitals do not report women's deaths until up to 500 days after they have occurred due to delays in medical record reviews.
I am concerned about the ongoing issues faced by black women in maternity care, including higher rates of stillbirths and maternal deaths. The statistics show that black women are five times more likely to die during childbirth compared to white women. Claudia Webbe expressed concern about the high risk and poor care black mothers face during childbirth, noting that they are four times more likely to lose their life during childbirth. She highlighted issues such as underfunding of home birth teams, closing delivery suites, and racial insensitivity in healthcare professionals.
Concise agreement on the point made by Jim Shannon. David Linden spoke on behalf of his colleague Anne McLaughlin, addressing the issue of racial disparities in maternal healthcare. He referred to the Birthrights report which outlines systemic racism in maternity services and highlighted the need for more black and brown women decision makers in the maternity system.
Ms Anderson highlighted the high rates of neonatal death, stillbirth, miscarriage and maternal mortality among black women in Wandsworth. She cited a petition signed by 187,520 people and called for action on systemic racism, structural barriers, and health inequalities. She proposed a whole-Government approach to address these issues through the White Paper on health disparities, new tobacco control plans, public health measures against obesity, and faster progress toward air quality targets set by the World Health Organisation.
Pleased that the debate is taking place and emphasised the importance of health trusts ensuring staff are adequately trained to deal with differences across ethnic groups. Also stressed the significance of clear messaging from the Minister and Department. He praised the right hon. Lady's wisdom and knowledge in debates, suggesting that the Government needs to grasp the data issue to prioritise their strategy on maternal health.
Ms Qureshi highlighted the persistent maternal health inequalities faced by black and Asian women in the UK, noting that black women are over four times as likely to die during childbirth or pregnancy compared to white women. She mentioned a rise in maternal mortality rates for black women from 28 deaths per 100,000 in 2013-2015 to 34 per 100,000 in 2016-2018 under the current government. She also pointed out that a survey by Five X More found 27% of women felt they received poor care during pregnancy and labour, with 42% experiencing discrimination based on race or ethnicity.
Government Response
Maria CaulfieldI acknowledge the significant disparities in black maternal health, including a fourfold increased risk of death during pregnancy and birth compared to white women. The minister highlights the work of the maternity disparities taskforce, which includes campaigners such as Five X More and the Muslim Women's Network. She notes that data on outcomes is often delayed by 18 months to two years, hindering the assessment of intervention effectiveness. The Lancet series reports a 40% increased relative risk of miscarriage for black women compared with white women, and a stillbirth rate in England for black babies of 6.3 per 1,000 births versus 3.2 per 1,000 births for white babies. The minister emphasizes the need to address multiple factors affecting black maternal health through a cross-Government approach involving various departments like Environment, Housing and Communities, and Work and Pensions. She mentions that pregnant black women are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases leading to poorer mental health outcomes. Initiatives include personalized care plans for black women and communities, local maternity system equity action plans, 14 maternal medicine networks covering the whole of England, and a £7.6 million health and wellbeing fund supporting projects throughout England to reduce disparities. Additionally, training and education programs aim to eliminate racial bias in obstetrics and gynaecology.