A Story of Collaboration

Inspired by Black Mothers Matter’s vision that one day Black mothers will no longer be disproportionately in danger during pregnancy and the first year after birth, the Black Maternity Matters project has been developed by Health Innovation West of England in partnership with Representation Matters and BCohCo.

In the UK, Black women still face significant disparities in maternal health outcomes, experiencing higher mortality, stillbirth rates and traumatic births compared to their white counterparts. These disparities are rooted in systemic biases, structural racism, and a lack of racial literacy within healthcare services.

In response to this very urgent patient safety issue, the Black Maternity Matters (BMM) Collaborative was launched in 2021,bringing together experts across systems to design a ground-breaking, immersive Anti – Racist programme focusing on targeted anti-racism education, peer support, and Quality Improvement (QI) transformation projects for perinatal staff & Senior Leaders within the West of England.