Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve care for black women in the NHS.

On 8 March the Government launched a call for evidence and is seeking to collect views on women’s health. It will run for a period of 12 weeks until 30 May 2021 and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/womens-health-strategy-call-for-evidence

With the Maternity Transformation programme there is greater service user participation in the design and delivery of maternity services through Maternity Voices Partnerships which is making efforts that diverse voices are heard. The NHS Long Term Plan committed to implementation of an enhanced and targeted continuity of carer model for black, Asian and minority ethnic women, as well as for women living in the most deprived areas.

The National Health Service is providing additional support for pregnant women from ethnic minorities during the COVID-19 pandemic, as research shows heightened risks.

The Department’s policy research programme is funding the National Institute for Health Research’s Policy Research Unit in Maternal and Neonatal Health and Care to conduct research to identify the factors associated with the excess risk of maternal death experienced by black and South Asian women.