Black mothers are unsurprised at the recent revelation that their newborn babies are 81% more likely to die in hospital before being discharged, according to a study by academics at the University of Liverpool.
The results of the study, that examined data on more than 700,000 babies, came as little surprise to black mothers, who have long sounded the alarm regarding the treatment they have received during childbirth in NHS hospitals.
Melissa Sigodo, the founder of The Source newsletter who recently became a mother, said that the only logical conclusion to draw from the evidence at hand is that the NHS is institutionally racist.
She said: “The culture, the bad practices, the dismissal of black women’s needs, the figures that we see, the reports that come out… you would have to say that it is institutionally racist.
“Institutions like the NHS fear the label of being called racist, but you have to name it in order to fix it.
“There shouldn’t be more outrage at being called institutionally racist than there is at the harm that racism causes.”
Melissa said that the new report is highlighting what black mothers already know, adding that although there have been countless reports in the past, this one is particularly alarming as the rate is so high.
She said: “81% is horrific. But for black mothers it’s not anything new.
“Black women are robbed of the joy of motherhood and pregnancy.
“You’re going into hospital with trepidation, worry and stress at a time when you’re supposed to be quite relaxed and calm.
“You’re on alert and thinking ‘Okay, I need to keep on top of everything. I need to make sure I am asking the right questions, I need to not be alone, I need to have support.’”
Melissa said that she doesn’t feel like there is much emphasis on changing the current situation for black women.
She referred to a case in Liverpool where a black woman’s death was caused by delays in a diagnosis that were ultimately explained as the result of ‘cultural and ethnic bias’, with an investigation finding hospital staff had not taken some observations because the patient was ‘being difficult’.
Regarding the recent study, David Taylor-Robinson, professor of public health and policy in the Institute of Population Health at the University of Liverpool, said that the research highlights how existing biases and injustices in society are reflected in clinical settings.
Melissa agrees with the professor’s assessment that what is happening in society is indeed reflected in hospitals, but believes that the use of the word ‘bias’ avoids addressing the problem head-on.
She said: “There is this reluctance to call it what it is – racism.
“‘We need to be real about racism and stop tip-toeing around what it is.
“There needs to be an explicit acknowledgement that black women are facing racism in the NHS.”
In regards to the Midlands, in a recommendation on tackling racism and other types of discrimination, NHS England said that despite years of trying to address issues of racism in the NHS, there has only been a limited amount of success, adding that strategies are often defeated by deep-rooted cultural norms and that there is no substantial evidence that any singular intervention will make a significant difference.
According to the study conducted by academics from the University of Liverpool, the highest mortality rate for black babies stood at 29.7 deaths per 1,000 babies, with the highest rate for white babies at 16.9 deaths per 1,000 babies.
The study also found that there is a 63% higher risk to babies whose mothers live in most deprived areas.
Samira Saberian, a PhD student at the University of Liverpool and the lead author of the study, said the analysis showed that socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities independently shape survival in neonatal units, and maternal and birth factors explain only over half of the socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities.
The research concluded: “There are stark socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in babies admitted to and who die in neonatal units in England and Wales.”
The NHS were contacted for comment.
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