Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Racism in UK maternity care risks safety of Black, Asian and mixed ethnicity women – study

Racism in UK maternity care risks safety of Black, Asian and mixed ethnicity women – study

Participants in charity’s year-long inquiry describe being ignored and feeling patronised and dehumanised

Systemic racism within UK maternity care is risking the safety of people from Black, Asian and mixed ethnicity backgrounds, often with devastating consequences, according to a report by the childbirth charity Birthrights.

More than 300 people with lived and professional experience of racial injustice in a maternity setting gave evidence to an expert panel chaired by Shaheen Rahman QC, a barrister who specialises in clinical negligence, as part of the charity’s year-long inquiry into the issue.

Rahman said: “Black women in the UK are four times more likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth than white women; Asian and mixed-race women are twice as likely. This glaring inequality prompted Birthrights to … examine how race discrimination impacts upon maternity care.”

Feeling unsafe was the most common theme in the testimonies provided via written evidence, in-depth interviews and focus groups, with two-thirds of those who shared their stories saying they did not feel safe some or all of the time.

Common themes included women not being listened to, their concerns about pain and contractions being routinely dismissed, and racist stereotypes impacting negatively on their safety.

There were numerous testimonies about serious medical conditions – such as jaundice or sepsis – not being recognised due to skin colour, owing to policies and training that focuses on white bodies as the norm.

Respondents also described feeling “dehumanised”, being patronised or spoken down to and even threatened.

One woman said she was shouted at by a doctor during an intimate examination, and another said she faced invasive questions about her immigration status while partially undressed.

The panel heard from healthcare professionals who said colleagues described Black women and babies as having “thick, tough, skin”, or said a ward “smells of curry” when south Asian families were being cared for, or that Chinese people were “dirty”.

Midwives described a “toxic” working environment where staff bullied each other, and a “blame culture” that meant there was a fear of speaking up or calling out racism.

One student midwife of mixed ethnicity described how she felt ground down by the racism she witnessed on a daily basis at a hospital in the Midlands. She said: “I feel completely ‘othered’ and have to bear witness to abhorrent behaviours, yet at the same time I feel the power imbalance and consequences of speaking out.

“During one training session we were told about a maternal death of which the conclusion was drawn that Asian women have a weaker immune system and this was the reason given. I was really shocked.”

She said proper training and real consequences for racist behaviour was vital. “People need to be able to report their colleagues without fear. It shouldn’t be left to the visibly non-white person on the team,” she said.

The report, Systemic Racism, Not Broken Bodies, calls for changes that address racism as the root cause of many of the inequalities in maternity care.

These include creating a safe inclusive workplace culture and improving maternity curriculums and guidance so that student midwives and medics are taught how to better assess women and babies with darker skin tones.

The report also demands policy changes to break down structural barriers to racial equity, such as ending NHS charging for migrant women, and ringfenced investment for NHS interpreting services.

The Department of Health and Social Care said a taskforce established in February this year “will level up maternity care for all women, particularly those living in deprived areas or from ethnic minority backgrounds”.

A spokesperson said: “It will focus on improving access to effective maternity care and care for women trying to conceive and will address factors linked to unacceptable disparities in quality of care, experiences and outcomes.

“We are also developing the first ever government-led women’s health strategy for England, and fertility, pregnancy, pregnancy loss and postnatal support will be a priority area.”

The NHS is investing £7m to tackle maternity inequalities and is working to make sure at least 75% of pregnant Black, Asian and minority ethnic women are cared for by the same midwives during and after pregnancy by 2024.


‘The whole experience was dehumanising’


In the run-up to her baby’s birth, Dina was seeing a mental health midwife for tokophobia – or fear of pregnancy. The 36-year-old, who is Sri Lankan, said: “We know women of colour have more birth trauma and adverse birthing experiences, so this was compounding my anxieties.”

But despite seeking out the extra support, it was clear her pregnancy phobia had not been communicated to other midwives when she turned up having contractions at the London hospital where she was to have her baby.

Dina, who did not want to give her surname, recalled: “Worse still, I experienced a lot of gaslighting, and essentially I was denied care. When I went to the birthing centre, one midwife told me I was in early labour and said ‘from looking’ at me that I was having short contractions.

“I explained I was a GP who had worked in obstetrics and gynaecology and that I recognised active labour, but it didn’t make any difference and I was sent home. They told me to contact them when I was in ‘unrelenting pain’, which was incredibly scary.”

Later Dina started bleeding and called midwives to express her concerns, but it was repeated to her that she sounded as if she was in early labour. But the haemorrhaging got worse and she lost nearly two litres of blood.

She said: “I was in agonising pain and passing massive blood clots. It was only when I turned up at hospital and they saw the blood that they finally listened to me. I was frightened but I was almost relieved I was bleeding so much as I thought at least they will listen.”

On examination Dina was 10cm dilated, meaning she was ready to give birth. She was rushed to theatre and her baby was delivered via a ventouse suction cup.

The next day a consultant came to check on her in the postnatal ward. “She said to me: ‘I read what happened and in 20 years I’ve never seen anything like this,’” Dina said. “This woman’s tone made me feel like I was an idiot and that somehow what happened was my fault.”

She sought the advice of another obstetrician consultant, who gave a different view – they said it was not unusual she had developed a blood clot after being left for hours in labour and not monitored.

“I should have been in hospital but they denied me care,” Dina said. “It made me wonder why I’d been ignored and spoken down to and it felt ethnicity related. The consultant saying to me ‘I’ve never seen anything like it’ made me feel like she saw women of colour as alien. The whole experience was dehumanising.”

Dina, whose baby girl is now two, has had treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, which she developed after the birth. “It’s left me with a deep mistrust of maternity services,” she said.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×