Maternal Mortality

Lord Kamall Excerpts

Tuesday 20th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

Midwives are absolutely crucial, and I pay tribute to them and to the wider maternity team. As of October 2025, there has been an increase of some 3.6%—that is 878 more midwives—compared to October 2024. Importantly, we are seeing the introduction of a range of initiatives to improve retention in the maternity workforce, including in midwifery. That will include mentoring and giving better advice and support on pensions and flexible retirement options, because we are keen to retain the long years of service that many midwives and other staff have.

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

My Lords, touching partly on the question from the noble Baroness, Lady Gohir, data from MBRRACE-UK shows that black women are three times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth than white women. Do the department and NHS England have any evidence on the reasons for these disparities that the Minister can share with the House? Will she tell noble Lords how NHS England and the department intend to tackle these disparities?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I am glad to say that my noble friend Lady Amos will be very much focusing on this area. I referred earlier to the maternal care bundle, which focuses on the five main causes of maternal death and harm, as well as on setting up best practice. A number of the risk factors are particularly associated with groups who live in areas of greater disadvantage, those who have pre-existing conditions and, as the noble Lord rightly says, sadly, black women, who are three times more likely to die—something that is totally unacceptable in any day and age, but certainly now. We cannot allow this to go on. That is why we have picked up a key recommendation from the Black Maternal Health inquiry for mechanisms for surveillance of severe maternal morbidity. The first data are expected in the summer.