STEVE BARCLAY, the Health Secretary, has rejected setting targets to reduce Black maternal death rates.
The cross-party Women and Equalities Committee, led by Tory MP Caroline Nokes, slammed the government’s decision.
MPs on the committee had urged Barclay to take urgent action over evidence that Black women are four times more likely to die during childbirth.
The committee’s Black Maternal Health report outlined multiple proposals to combat the racial disparities, however the government response said the concrete target “does not necessarily focus resource and attention through the best mechanisms”.
It added: “We do not believe a target and strategy is the best approach towards progress”.
The MPs were alarmed at “appalling” racial and other disparities in maternal deaths.
Women in the most deprived areas 2.5 times more likely to die than those in the least deprived areas.
The government welcomed some of the Committee’s report and acknowledged “we must do more” to ensure maternity care is consistent regardless of ethnicity.
They partially accepted one of the Committee’s recommendations and said NHS England will “carry out a scoping exercise” on a review of training curricula and continuing professional development requirements for all maternity staff.
The recommendation to increase the annual budget for maternity services to £200–350 million was also backed by the Health and Social Care Committee.
The Government said “the Delivery Plan sets out that NHS services will ensure the right numbers of the right staff are available to provide the best care for women and babies”.
Under the Maternity Disparities Taskforce, the Government agreed to update the Committee on a six-monthly basis on the progress, but declined to provide minutes and metrics for gauging the success of the Taskforce. Pre-pregnancy care over the next 12-months will be the focus of the Taskforce.
It added there is “clear value” in flexibility and adaptability.
The Government said each Local Maternity and Neonatal System has produced an Equity and Equality Action Plan which will be published by 31 March 2024.
The Committee hit back at the Government decision to ultimately not set racial targets and accused NHS leadership of underestimating the extent to which racism plays a role in perpetuating inequalities.
Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, Rt Hon Caroline Nokes MP, said: “The Government’s commitment to ending maternal health disparities is welcome, as is its promise to scope out a review of maternity staff training and update us on the progress of the Maternity Disparities Taskforce. However, I am afraid its response stops short of the significant action we need to end these appalling disparities in maternal deaths.
“Our inquiry clearly found that without further funding, it will not be possible to implement measures such as continuity of care and to combat inequalities, due to considerable staffing shortages across maternity services.
“We remain very concerned and will continue to apply pressure on the Government to make progress to end the disparities once and for all.”
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There is a staggering official disparity against His Majesty’s African, and African-Caribbean heritage Subjects, and against African-heritage Americans by Government and judicial institutions.
Shockingly, England’s Rt Hon Mr STEVE BARCLAY, the Health Cabinet Secretary, has rejected setting targets to reduce African-heritage Mother’s maternal death rates.
For Mr Barclay, the deaths of African-heritage Mothers do not matter.
Voice Readers, the disparity of deaths of African, African-Caribbean, and Dual-heritage Mothers if African-heritage whilst receiving NHS Maternal Care, does not matter.
“Black Lives Matters,” was just a useful and deceptive Labour and Left-wing pollical slogan.
In the United States this week, Asian American are celebrating the abolition of “affirmative Action;” a policy which assisted African-heritage Americans to overcome skin-colour institutional exclusion and segregation.
“Today is a great day for Asian Americans and all Americans,” Yukong Zhao, president of the Asian American Coalition for Education, told the BBC about the court’s decision.
“This decision will preserve meritocracy, which is the bedrock of the American dream.”
African-heritage people in England and the United States are more marginalised and politically segregated today, than we were at the height of skin-colour segregation in England and the United States during the 1950’s.
England’s Parliament extends far more policies; energy, and concerns to issues of concern to Middle-class Feminism, LGBTQIAP+ and Caucasian-Jewish concerns.
The sooner we stop relying on them for help the better. This is something we need to figure out on our own. Remember these people dont like us and never will – I am sick and tired of some of us still running to Massa and asking him to help us 🤷🏿♂️
It’s not about running to Massa, it’s about working to geter. He runs the NHS where black material deaths are occurring. It’s not something we should/can do on our own.