Maternal Mortality: Ethnic Groups

(asked on 24th July 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commission an urgent review of maternal care in response to the findings of the MBRRACE-UK maternal deaths and morbidity statistics 2014-16 relating to increased maternal mortality rates for women from BAME communities.


Answered by
Nadine Dorries Portrait
Nadine Dorries
This question was answered on 5th September 2019

The Department is funding the Maternal and Neonatal Policy Research Unit at the University of Oxford to investigate the factors associated with the excess perinatal mortality experienced by black, Asian and minority ethnic babies; and identify the factors associated with the excess risk of maternal death for black and South Asian women.

The NHS Long Term Plan outlines plans to reduce health inequalities and address unwarranted variation in maternity care. This work is led by NHS England through the Maternity Transformation Programme.

Targeted and enhanced continuity of care from the same midwife, or group of midwives can significantly improve outcomes for women. The NHS Long Term plan sets out that 75% of black women will receive continuity of carer from midwives by 2024.

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