Racism and staff shortages exposed in NHS maternity system
Black and Asian women face "unacceptable racism," and mothers and babies are being failed by NHS maternity services due to a reluctance to admit mistakes, an investigation has found.
An interim report published by Baroness Amos as part of her National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation found deep-rooted issues across the NHS and a system that "is not working for women, babies and families, or for staff."
Her team has met more than 400 family members and heard from over 8,000 people, including NHS staff, through a public call for evidence, which closes next month.
The report found racism and discrimination occur throughout the system, adding: "We have heard about stereotypes being used in maternity and neonatal services.
"This includes accounts of Asian women being stereotyped as ’princesses,’ with the implication that they are overly demanding or unable to cope with pain."
Baroness Amos’s final recommendations to the NHS in England will be published in the spring.
In her interim report, she said "time and time again" families and staff see the same issues repeated and numerous reviews making recommendations.
She pointed to six factors contributing to pressures on the maternity system, including racism and discrimination, shortages of staff, capacity issues, culture and leadership, lack of accountability when things go wrong, and the poor condition of NHS hospitals and buildings.
Baroness Amos said: "We have heard about families being disregarded and not listened to during pregnancy and labor, a lack of kindness and compassion, and reluctance on the part of trusts and professionals to admit mistakes and say sorry when things have gone wrong.
"We have seen maternity and neonatal services trying to respond in difficult circumstances and dealing with competing pressures but too often failing to deliver the safe care that women, families, and babies expect and deserve, at times with devastating consequences."
The Government-led investigation found women pointing to a "postcode lottery" of care, with Baroness Amos agreeing "this looks like a fragmented service."
Baroness Amos said of her interim report: "It is clear from the meetings and conversations I have had with hundreds of women, families, and staff members across the country, that maternity and neonatal services in England are failing too many women, babies, families, and staff."
The public call for evidence remains open until March 17.
Jodi Newton, head of birth and pediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, which represents several clients, said: "There have been a multitude of similar investigations which have failed to deliver meaningful reform.
"At the same time, families have suffered avoidably poor levels of care, resulting in death and devastating birth injuries."
Richard Kayser, a medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell – which represents hundreds of families affected by maternity care failings, said: "Over the past two decades we’ve seen several high-profile investigations and reports – stretching back to Morecambe Bay and Shrewsbury and Telford – make hundreds of recommendations, many of which haven’t been implemented.
"The nation’s maternity services are now at a crossroads in terms of whether the same issues continue to be highlighted or whether decisive action is actually taken to improve care for families in the future."
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