Baroness Valerie Amos’ interim report into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England lays out evidence of long-standing and unacceptable inequalities. While its findings are deeply concerning, they reinforce what the Foundation and others have documented for decades: Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic mothers and newborns face disproportionate risks rooted in structural racism.
Black and Asian women continue to experience significantly higher maternal mortality. At a time marked by heightened concern and vulnerability, many also encounter damaging stereotypes and exclusionary practices that compromise the quality, safety and dignity of their care.
Crucially, the racial disparities in maternal and neonatal services do not exist in isolation. They form part of a wider web of structural inequality experienced by minoritised ethnic women, compounding the ‘long-term economic, psychological, and emotional consequences’ of pervasive socio-economic disadvantage identified by the report.
We welcome the investigation’s identification and articulation of longstanding issues in the system. We await the final report, and hope its recommendations – and their implementation – centre anti-racism, ensuring that all women and infants have an equal opportunity to survive and thrive.
For media enquiries, please contact Lauren Golding, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Race Equality Foundation at comms@racefound.org.uk
