Health body ‘deeply concerned’ about racism in English maternity wards

An inequality watchdog has highlighted racist behavior by maternity workers in a series of ‘very worrying’ reports from two public health regulators in England.

Several cases of racism towards patients have been reported by the Care Quality Commission, which oversees healthcare providers, and by a body that oversees workforces in England’s public health system, the National Health Service.

In one case, qualified midwives at a city hospital in the Midlands called Brown, who asked for pain relief during labor, “Asian princesses.”

Midwifery trainees described the behavior to an NHS England staffing, training and education team visiting the University Hospitals of Birmingham. They also said some midwives paid less attention to women of color, especially if English was not their first language.

The comments were reported on Friday by industry magazine The HSJ.

Midwives play a major role in maternity care in England. They undergo three years of college-level study to qualify and are present at all scheduled births.

The trainee’s claims reflect concerns raised by an ongoing investigation into maternity care at a city hospital in Nottingham in the East Midlands.

Senior midwife Donna Ockendon, who is leading the independent investigation, wrote in a letter to the hospital director: “Non-white mothers are spoken to more harshly and dismissively than their white counterparts.”

The Care Quality Commission recently raised similar concerns about care at a hospital in Kettering, also in the East Midlands. The inspectors found “discrimination against patients from ethnic minorities”. in a report.

England is currently facing major patient safety issues in maternity wards across the country. Many factors, including years of staff shortages, are believed to have contributed to a toxic culture at a number of hospital trusts. multiple independent reviews have found.

Campaigners have been asking questions about racial inequality in the services sector for years. Women of color experience significantly worse pregnancy outcomes than white women, including much higher maternal mortality.

Leaders of the inequality watchdog, the NHS Race and Health Observatory, criticized the latest racist incidents. CEO Habib Naqvi said this HSJ he was “deeply concerned” by the messages.

He said that “discriminatory behavior and ways of working… [can] lead to hostile and unsupportive learning environments… impact on patient care and safety, and also seriously undermine the NHS’s aim to attract and retain staff.â€

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of the hospital NHS Providers, said organizations are working hard to ‘root out racism’ and ‘improve equality in healthcare’ to create a ‘safe and supportive environment for all patients’.

Lawmakers have previously criticized the government for failing to adequately acknowledge or respond to clear evidence of racial disparities in maternal health. On Friday, Cordery called for more action from leaders.

“Maternity services face a number of challenges, including an increase in case complexity, significant workforce shortages and persistent health inequalities,” she added, calling on the government to “provide national support for initiatives that focus on training, education and culture”. competence.â€