Reducing Black maternal health inequalities: building health, wellbeing and real solutions together

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Background

While the UK remains one of the safest places in the world to give birth, Black women and birthing people experience health inequalities in maternity and neonatal services. Data shows that Black women and birthing people are more likely to die in childbirth, more likely to have a traumatic birth, and report poorer experiences of maternity and neonatal care.

NHS South East London and Impact on Urban Health have formed a partnership that seeks to work with communities to re-build trust and find and fund solutions to these inequalities. We will bring together Black mothers and birthing people with maternity and neonatal services in South East London to collectively decide on and deliver fully funded pilot interventions.

Black Maternal Health Expert Reference Group

This work is guided by a South East London Black Maternal Health Expert Reference Group made up of local Black mothers and birthing people, leaders of community organisations, and clinicians and service managers from the NHS. Membership of the Group includes representatives from The Motherhood Group, 5 X MORE, Southwark Maternity Voices Partnership, Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Lewisham & Greenwich Trust, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and King’s College London.

How you can get involved?

Our early conversations with Black mothers and other experts have revealed that many feel that a lot of listening has already been done and that there is extensive data, insight and other evidence collected to diagnose the problems Black women and birthing people and their babies are experiencing. The people we engaged were now keen to see action and funding to translate this knowledge into meaningful, positive change.

For this reason, we are starting our project with a solutions-focused workshop that will bring together Black mothers and birthing people with NHS staff to collectively decide on solutions that will then be further developed and allocated funding through our Black Maternal Health Expert Reference Group. Solutions could include some of the great working already happening in our communities, or completely new innovations.

The first Reducing Black Maternal Health Inequalities workshop took place on 19th June 2025, at the Liberation Centre in Brixton. We will shortly be updating this page with the outputs from the workshop, which in turn will shape the commissioning by our Expert Reference Group of a series of projects seeking to reducing Black women's and birthing people's maternal health inequalities.

If you would like to be kept informed about project developments and future opportunities to be involved please email blackmaternalhealthproject@selondonics.nhs.uk and we will add you to our mailing list.

Background

While the UK remains one of the safest places in the world to give birth, Black women and birthing people experience health inequalities in maternity and neonatal services. Data shows that Black women and birthing people are more likely to die in childbirth, more likely to have a traumatic birth, and report poorer experiences of maternity and neonatal care.

NHS South East London and Impact on Urban Health have formed a partnership that seeks to work with communities to re-build trust and find and fund solutions to these inequalities. We will bring together Black mothers and birthing people with maternity and neonatal services in South East London to collectively decide on and deliver fully funded pilot interventions.

Black Maternal Health Expert Reference Group

This work is guided by a South East London Black Maternal Health Expert Reference Group made up of local Black mothers and birthing people, leaders of community organisations, and clinicians and service managers from the NHS. Membership of the Group includes representatives from The Motherhood Group, 5 X MORE, Southwark Maternity Voices Partnership, Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Lewisham & Greenwich Trust, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and King’s College London.

How you can get involved?

Our early conversations with Black mothers and other experts have revealed that many feel that a lot of listening has already been done and that there is extensive data, insight and other evidence collected to diagnose the problems Black women and birthing people and their babies are experiencing. The people we engaged were now keen to see action and funding to translate this knowledge into meaningful, positive change.

For this reason, we are starting our project with a solutions-focused workshop that will bring together Black mothers and birthing people with NHS staff to collectively decide on solutions that will then be further developed and allocated funding through our Black Maternal Health Expert Reference Group. Solutions could include some of the great working already happening in our communities, or completely new innovations.

The first Reducing Black Maternal Health Inequalities workshop took place on 19th June 2025, at the Liberation Centre in Brixton. We will shortly be updating this page with the outputs from the workshop, which in turn will shape the commissioning by our Expert Reference Group of a series of projects seeking to reducing Black women's and birthing people's maternal health inequalities.

If you would like to be kept informed about project developments and future opportunities to be involved please email blackmaternalhealthproject@selondonics.nhs.uk and we will add you to our mailing list.

Page last updated: 24 Jun 2025, 09:51 AM