Select committee: Women and Equalities Committee
Conclusion 5
Third Report - Black maternal health
Published 18 Apr 2023
Paragraph 50
Addressed to Government Equalities Office
Women and Equalities Committee Black maternal health All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The main solutions which have been put forward by the Government and NHS are necessary but insufficient to tackle the problem of the disparity in maternal 26 Black maternal health deaths. A target for eliminating the disparity between Black and other minority ethnic women and White women, and the related disparity between those living in the most and least deprived areas, is needed. This will focus minds, help to embed a strategy, and keep the issue firmly on the political and health agenda. Focus on a single number alone is a crude and unhelpful measure. There should be a cross- government target and strategy, led by the Department of Health and Social Care, for eliminating maternal health disparities. The Maternity Disparities Taskforce should be charged with consulting on this strategy within its membership and more widely, and for proposing and developing metrics by which this target can be achieved and measured.
From: Women and Equalities Committee, Third Report - Black maternal health (HC 94), paragraph 50, 18 April 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 30 June 2023 (deadline 18 June 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the report and states it remains "committed to tackling maternal inequalities", but declines several of the Committee's specific recommendations while pointing to existing NHS England work.
- On the Maternity Disparities Taskforce, it is "happy to update the Committee on a six-monthly basis", but "will not publish minutes" or measures for gauging the Taskforce's success, giving reasons relating to openness of discussion and flexibility.
- On a cross-government target and strategy for eliminating maternal health disparities, it does "not believe a target and strategy is the best approach" and will instead measure progress through the Equity and Equality Guidance metrics.
- On training, NHS England "will carry out a scoping exercise" on co-ordinating the proposed review; on the maternal morbidity indicator, the Department of Health and Social Care "is considering how this can be delivered", with no timescale given.
- On Taskforce membership, it considers the current membership "sufficient" and does not commit to reserved seats. It states that all local maternity systems "will publish their equity and equality action plan by 31 March 2024".