Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendation of the Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries report, published in January 2021, what steps he has taken to help identify and meet the specific needs of Black and Asian populations in the context of reproductive and pregnancy healthcare provision.

In summer 2021, the Department commissioned the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to carry out a pilot survey of women’s reproductive health experiences in England. The sampling strategy included working with advocacy organisations to try to maximise participation from women from ethnic minority groups, including black and Asian women. Data from the survey will contribute to evidence around the specific needs of black and Asian populations in reproductive healthcare provision.

The Department is developing a new Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy, which will be published early next year. The Strategy will include an overarching focus on identifying and addressing health inequalities, including those faced by black and Asian populations, in relation to sexual and reproductive healthcare.

On 6 September, NHS England and NHS Improvement published ‘Equity and Equality: Guidance for Local Maternity Systems’. Local Maternity Systems are asked to undertake interventions to understand the specific needs of black and Asian populations through the local population’s maternal and perinatal health needs; map community assets which help address the social determinants of health; conduct a baseline assessment of the experience of maternity and neonatal staff by Workforce Race Equity Standard indicators; and plan to co-produce interventions to improve equity for mothers, babies and race equality for staff.