Dear Rt. Hon. Nadine Dorris MP, Minister of State for Patient Safety

We are writing to urge you to ensure that maternal health inequalities are considered in the review of maternal health care standards prompted by the Ockenden report. 

WE welcome the publication of the Ockenden Report in December 2020. It is a long overdue independent review of harm caused to families in receipt of deficient, substandard and possibly negligent maternity services, turning what should have been a joyous event into bereavement and trauma and the most difficult times of a family’s life. However, ahead of the April assurance committee meeting we are urging you to ensure that addressing maternal health inequalities are at the heart of any planned reforms of maternal health services. 

The report follows publication of stark statistics showing that black women are four times more likely to die as a result of childbirth than white women. However, the report itself does not does not address or acknowledge the fact that it’s recommendations may not affect all communities equally. 

There is overwhelming evidence that it is people of colour - particularly black women and children - who are most at risk of death or poor health outcomes in maternal healthcare. 

Therefore introducing national, one size fits all standards for improving maternal safety, without regard for ethnicity would at best, be a missed opportunity to address the causes of death or poor maternal health outcomes for the populations that are most likely to suffer them. At worst a continuation of the structural discrimination which is causing those poor outcomes in first place. 

For years, black women have been told to wait, that we need more evidence, or more time to address the inequalities which leave us four times more likely to die when we give birth. But if the rollout of new national maternal safety standards is not the time to address UK’s shameful maternal health inequalities - when will be? 

Since the start of the Pandemic, the Women's Equality Party have made clear that we must not merely aim to 'Build Back Better', but that this is a vital opportunity for us to Build Back Equal. That means that any recovery plan addresses all the inequalities and disparities that the nation's response to battling coronavirus has revealed.

WE are therefore asking for; 

• Recognition of care disparities for black women between separate Trusts and disparities in midwifery provision within individual trusts. 
• A co-ordinated approach to redress the unequal maternal health outcomes for black women in the health service. 
• A cross-departmental task force to improve black women’s maternal health outcomes, which would include decolonising the medical training curriculum and the culture of the NHS, and eliminate misinformation and stereotypes about physiological and biological differences between black and white women.  
• Government-funded (by and for) independent adviceline for black women going through pregnancy and childbirth that can offer advice on how to navigate the health service.
• A national mothers’ charter setting out the best standard of care pregnant women and mothers can expect from the health service and other maternity service providers. 

The pandemic response has disproportionately impacted black women, so pregnant black women and mothers face a combination of adverse effects. Our voices must be heard amongst all the competing demands of our collective recovery. 

Yours sincerely,

Christine Dean, Deputy Leader of the Women’s Equality Party and GLA 2021 Candidate 

Juliana Ojinnaka and Reena Johl Co-Leaders, Women’s Equality Party Race Equality Caucus