Improving outcomes through education and co-creation

The recent Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK) report has exposed some shocking findings regarding the maternity outcomes amongst women who are from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. How can it be possible that in this day and age, ‘black women are five times more likely to die in childbirth?’ (Knight et al, 2019). With the midwifery profession striving to provide woman-centred ideologies and models of care that are based upon a premise of continuity (Cumberledge, 2016), it remains inexplicable that mortality rates for these women remain so high.

The findings of this report led to much soul-searching by two midwifery educators, who were deeply committed to making an impact and contribution to improving the care of these women and their families. What followed was a deep reflection on how these inequities might be addressed. The adage ‘education is power’ (Nelson Mandela Foundation, 2003) led the authors to believe that they were in a prime and privileged position to make an impact through midwifery education.