Improve Maternal Mortality Rates and Health Care for Black Women in the U.K.
The Parliament petitions site records 187,520 signatures for this petition, which closed on 13 September 2020. The Government responded on 25 June 2020. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 19 April 2021.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Improve Maternal Mortality Rates and Health Care for Black Women in the U.K.
Black Women in the U.K. are 5 times more likely to die during pregnancy and after childbirth compared to White Women (MBRRACE, 2019). We need more research done into why this is happening and recommendations to improve health care for Black Women as urgent action is needed to address this disparity.
The Government must commit to funding the changes necessary to eradicate these statistics and improve maternal health care outcomes for Black Women.
Between 2015-2017 the chance of death for Black Women was 38 out of 100,000 however it was 7 out of 100,000 for White Women according to the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity.
An urgent explanation and tangible action needs to be done by the Government to stop this number increasing and putting Black Women’s lives in danger.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 25 June 2020; the petitions site lists the Department of Health and Social Care as responsible. Its summary:
The Government is funding a NIHR Policy Research Unit in Maternal and Neonatal Health and Care study into factors associated with the higher risk of maternal death for Black and South Asian women.
The opening 375 words of the 684-word response:
Analysis of maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths, undertaken by MBRRACE-UK (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK) at the University of Oxford, shows that poor outcomes are much higher for mothers and babies from Black/Black British and Asian/Asian British ethnic groups and women living in the most deprived areas of the country.
The NHS Long-Term Plan
The NHS Long-Term Plan (LTP) takes a concerted and systematic approach to reducing health inequalities and addressing unwarranted variation in care. Work to improve equity in health outcomes for mothers and their babies is led by Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE, Chief Midwifery Officer for England. The work aims to understand why mortality rates are higher, consider evidence about what will reduce mortality rates and take action to improve equity in outcomes for mothers and their babies. This is being carried out as part of the Maternity Transformation Programme (MTP), which is implementing the vision for maternity services set out in ‘Better Births’ and the NHS LTP.
The MTP works through Local Maternity Systems, which bring together service users, commissioners, and provider trusts to design and deliver maternity services. They are well placed to ensure that services meet the needs of diverse local communities. The LTP committed to implementation of an enhanced and targeted continuity of carer model for Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women, as well as for women from the most deprived areas. By 2024 75% of women from BAME background will receive continuity of care from their midwife throughout pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period, with additional midwifery time where needed. The evidence shows that continuity of carer models helps reduce pre-term births, hospital admissions, the need for intervention during labour, and to improve women’s experience of care. Continuity of carer can significantly improve outcomes for women and their babies from ethnic minorities and those living in deprived areas
Local Maternity Systems will receive funding and support to implement targeted and enhanced continuity of carer from 2021. In the meantime, Local Maternity Systems are rolling out a standard continuity of carer model and the NHS Planning Guidance 2019/20 stated that that they should use all reasonable endeavours to prioritise women who face the poorest outcomes, which includes BAME women.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 1,672, came from Lewisham, Deptford.
185,953 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,567 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Lewisham, Deptford | 1,672 |
| Camberwell and Peckham | 1,599 |
| Hackney North and Stoke Newington | 1,501 |
| Bristol West | 1,451 |
| Hackney South and Shoreditch | 1,441 |
| Dulwich and West Norwood | 1,349 |
| Streatham | 1,347 |
| Lewisham West and Penge | 1,187 |
| Vauxhall | 1,186 |
| Hornsey and Wood Green | 1,142 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 50,725 |
| South East | 27,026 |
| East of England | 16,436 |
| South West | 15,341 |
| North West | 14,937 |
| Scotland | 12,439 |
| West Midlands | 11,342 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 11,039 |
| East Midlands | 9,767 |
| Wales | 5,641 |
| North East | 3,848 |
| Northern Ireland | 2,276 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 19 April 2021. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/301079.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
c244b0ca3aa7bbb4… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.