Healthcare workers join Southwark’s charge to tackle maternity care disparities

10 April 2024

Southwark’s Maternity Commission is forging ahead with its work to explore and highlight the experiences of women engaging with local maternity care services especially black and brown women.

Following a successful January launch, the commission hosted frontline maternity care professionals this week (14 March 2024) to openly discuss their experiences – both positive and negative – in providing maternity care. These insights will help the commission understand the challenges and explore tangible improvements in care delivery and outcomes.

The meeting took place at the Rye Oak Children's and Family Centre.

Healthcare professionals from various stakeholders, including the Breastfeeding Network, Parent Action, King’s College Hospital, Evelina London Children's Hospital, and the Nexus Princess Street Group, shared their perspectives.

The meeting was organised into thematic discussions covering, the effectiveness of internal reporting structures to address inequalities, the availability of training opportunities to tackle maternity care disparities and how the council can better support outcomes.

Councillor Evelyn Akoto, founder of the Southwark Maternity Commission, said: “To bring about the changes we aspire to see in maternity care, we must engage in honest and transparent conversations about service delivery. We’re not here to point fingers and blame anyone. We are here to listen and receive insights that will inform our goal to ensure every woman is supported and respected throughout their maternity journey”.

The Southwark Maternity Commission aims to capture local women's experiences and supplement national statistics with qualitative research.

In parallel with the Maternity Commission meetings, a public consultation is ongoing. Local residents are encouraged to share their experiences and influence maternity care in Southwark. As a token of appreciation, participants can enter a prize draw for a chance to win a £50 Love2shop voucher.

The next public meeting takes place on 17 April 2024 and will platform the voices of people who have recently used local maternity care services. The meeting will take place at 12:30 pm at the Rye Oak Children's and Family Centre. Bookings can be made here.

Page last updated: 10 April 2024