Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will require the Maternity Disparities Task Force to publish clear and measurable success metrics.

We updated the Women and Equalities Select Committee via correspondence about various aspects of the Maternal Disparities taskforce in March. The questions raised within these Parliamentary Questions are taken from the recommendations within the Women and Equalities Select Committee Report on Black maternal Health, which was published on 18 April 2023. We will consider the findings and recommendations made by the Women and Equalities Select Committee and publish our response in due course.

We take the contents of this report very seriously and remain committed to tackling maternal inequalities and improving equity for mothers and babies. We will continue work to make the National Health Service one of the best places in the world to give birth by offering mothers and babies better support and safer care.

While births in England are among the safest globally, we must do more to ensure maternity care is consistent regardless of race. To address this, Local Maternity and Neonatal Systems have begun to publish Equity and Equality Action Plans to tackle disparities in outcomes and experiences of maternity care at a local level. The Maternity Disparities Taskforce, which last met on 18 April, brings together experts from across the health system, Government Departments and the voluntary sector to explore and consider evidence-based interventions to tackle maternal disparities.