"what you hear is so shocking"
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has revealed disturbing instances of racism and discrimination within NHS maternity services.
This includes Asian women being labelled “divas” by NHS staff for requesting pain relief during childbirth.
Mr Streeting also said black mothers were often expected to cope without pain relief because they were seen as “strong”.
He said: “I’ve been really stunned by some of the language that women have heard during the course of their own care: one mother saying that she’d been denied pain relief medication because they thought she was a ‘strong black woman’, another describing Asian mothers referred to as ‘divas’ when they asked for pain relief.”
Mr Streeting made the comments while launching a national investigation into England’s NHS maternity services.
Saying he was determined to deal with inequalities and racism in the health service, Mr Streeting stated:
“We’ve got a lot of work to do not just on health inequalities, but on racism and discrimination in maternity care.”
He pointed to statistics showing that babies of black ethnicity are twice as likely to be stillborn as white babies. Black women are also two to three times more likely to die during or shortly after pregnancy.
Mr Streeting added: “I’m almost sat there in a state of disbelief, because what you hear is so shocking, you think this can’t possibly be true.
“And then you look at the evidence, and you see that what they have been through, is exactly as they describe.”
The inquiry will review all aspects of maternity care, following a series of scandals where hundreds of babies died or were left with life-changing injuries.
Mr Streeting said he was committed to addressing deep-rooted inequalities within the NHS and ensuring safer, fairer treatment for all mothers.
Sir Jim Mackey, Chief Executive at NHS England, said:
“Despite the hard work of staff, too many women are experiencing unacceptable maternity care, and families continue to be let down by the NHS when they need us most.
“This rapid national investigation must mark a line in the sand for maternity care – setting out one set of clear actions for NHS leaders to ensure high-quality care for all.
“Transparency will be key to understanding variation and fixing poor care.”
“By shining a spotlight on the areas of greatest failure, we can hold failing trusts to account.
“Each year, over half a million babies are born under our care and maternity safety rightly impacts public trust in the NHS – so we must act immediately to improve outcomes for the benefit of mothers, babies, families and staff.”
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