Black Maternity Matters is a ground-breaking collaboration, supporting midwives to reduce the inequitable maternity outcomes faced by Black mothers. It will support maternity systems to offer safer, equitable care for all.
Did you know?
- Black women are four times more likely to die during pregnancy or in the postnatal period than White women.1
- Stillbirth rates of Black and Black British babies are over twice those for White babies.2
It is also widely accepted that there are inevitable ‘near misses’, instances of poor care and psychological impact that have not yet been a focus of research, which add to the negative experience of many Black women during pregnancy and post-natal care.
While there are examples of excellent work happening around the country, the West of England has not yet developed a targeted, unified strategy to improve outcomes for Black pregnant women and their babies. Where training and education is offered, maternity staff are often left with no clear steps on how to introduce and test potential changes and improvements.
By setting up a supportive collaborative for maternity staff, offering peer support, education and training, and coaching in quality improvement (QI), our Black Maternity Matters project seeks to change this.