References

Mothers and Babies Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK. Missing voices saving lives, improving mothers' care: lay summary 2022. 2022. https://tinyurl.com/4rshyskf (accessed 23 May 2023)

Mothers and Babies Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK. Maternal mortality 2019-2021. 2023a. https://tinyurl.com/38ny32vd (accessed 23 May 2023)

Mothers and Babies Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK. Latest MBRRACE-UK figures for maternal and perinatal mortality in the UK are published. 2023b. https://tinyurl.com/yc4x7hdf (accessed 23 May 2023)

NHS. Maternity and neonatal services. 2023. https://tinyurl.com/5b4ucvv6 (accessed 23 May 2023)

NHS England. Delivering midwifery continuity of carer at full scale: guidance on planning, implementation and monitoring 2021/22. 2021. https://tinyurl.com/s79jxzkj (accessed 23 May 2023)

Tommy's. Study to explore midwifery continuity of carer policy for NHS and parents. 2023. https://tinyurl.com/2sxe4xzd (accessed 24 May 2023)

Major new study assesses changes to midwifery models of care in England. 2023. https://tinyurl.com/tceunea9 (accessed 23 May 2023)

The ups and downs of midwifery in the UK

02 June 2023
Editorial
02 June 2023
Volume 31 · Issue 6

Disparities in maternity care persist for ethnic minorities and those living in deprived areas, as illustrated by data released ahead of the Mothers and Babies Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK, 2023a) report. The main report is due to be released later this year, but in response to calls for more rapid publication of data, the latest figures have been made available ahead of publication for the first time (MBRRACE-UK, 2023b).

The preliminary data cover 2019–2021 and show that there has been no reduction in the disparities that ethnic minorities experience since last year's report; maternal mortality among Black women is almost four times higher than White women, and twice as high in Asian women (MBRRACE-UK, 2023a). These figures are unchanged from the 2018–2020 data (MBRRACE-UK, 2022).

However, it is important to remember that this is only one side of maternity care in the UK, and ongoing efforts to better outcomes continue. For example, the NHS' (2023) long term plan includes aims to continually improve the care available at maternity and neonatal services across the UK, including by implementing the continuity of carer model (NHS England, 2021).

This model is now the focus of the UK's largest study to date into a model of midwifery care (Williams, 2023). The study, named the SIMCA (Studying the Implementation of Midwifery Continuity of Carer) project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and led by a team from the University of Plymouth.

Tommy's (2023), who support those experiencing baby loss, are also involved with the project. The charity's head of policy, research and information, Kate Davies, is the patient involvement lead for SIMCA. She commented that the ‘continuity of carer model offers an approach that may enhance the safety and quality of care for all women…Better understanding of how implementation…works best and what factors influence implementation is imperative’.

She also noted that ‘continuity of carer means so much to women and birthing people and can help address inequity’ (Tommy's, 2023), which, as highlighted by the MBRRACE-UK data, is an ongoing concern.