{"id":3231,"date":"2022-10-26T17:01:39","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T17:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.mutusystem.com\/en-uk\/?p=3231"},"modified":"2024-04-27T12:25:14","modified_gmt":"2024-04-27T12:25:14","slug":"uk-black-maternal-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mutusystem.com\/en-uk\/mutu-pregnancy\/uk-black-maternal-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThere are real people behind those statistics.\u201d Parliament not doing enough to prevent Black maternal mortality crisis."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What needs to be done to make it safer for Black women and babies in the UK?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though birth is relatively safe in the UK, it has been shown that most maternal deaths in the country are preventable. The reporting around the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust<\/a> scandals, showed that this has been a long-growing problem within maternity care in various parts of the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The weight of those cases coming to light helped start to spur government action. The Ockenden reports<\/a>, two independent reviews of the failures of this hospital, was followed by a \u00a395 million commitment from the government to improve maternal care across the country. This is a major boost from the July of 2020, issuing of \u00a32.45 million. Activists are hoping that one key area of improvement is highlighted \u2014 the major disparity in safe birthing outcomes amongst Black British women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Birthing in the UK is Not Equal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One area where past government action seems to be falling short is in addressing the inequities of the Black maternal health crisis. In the UK, Black women are four times more likely to die in childbirth than white British women. This is shocking enough, but terribly, the numbers were higher even just recently. They are also more likely to face severe pregnancy complications and near misses. The risk of miscarriage is 40% higher for Black mothers and they are more likely to give birth prematurely. The cause is clear \u2014 inequity, racial bias, microaggressions, a \u201cconstellation of biases<\/a>,\u201d and mistreatment by medical staff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Bell Riberio-Addy<\/a> (Labour MP for Streatham), this large budget increase<\/a> did not do enough to address the root of this disparity. Addressing Parliament, she said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cOur Government have [sic] responded with poorly rolled-out plans that actually exacerbate the issue by ignoring the problem altogether. The NHS long-term plan\u2026seemed, on paper, like a really good starting point to improve maternal health outcomes\u2026in reality, it has created a two-tier system for pregnant women.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\u2014 Riberio-Addy addressing Parliament during Black Maternal Health Week<\/a>, Tuesday 14 September 2021<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Compassion and Community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s more than just funding, Riberio-Addy points out, it\u2019s a matter of having enough adequately trained staff. It\u2019s also having the government put in place community care systems which reflect a diverse population of birthing people.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This would help address some of the key findings in the Birthrights<\/a> “Systemic Racism, Not Broken Bodies” report, which include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n