The Committee will receive an update from the Royal Berkshire Hospital Foundation Trust regarding Maternity Services.

The Committee received a report and presentation from Sarah Bailey, Interim Director of Midwifery Royal Berkshire Hospital Foundation Trust (RBFT) on a summary of the national MBRRACE report findings, local data on inequalities in maternity care and progress on reducing inequalities across maternity care.

The Committee were provided with the following information:

·       The findings of the 2025 MBRRACE report, highlighted significantly higher maternal mortality rates for Black women, Asian women, and women living in the most deprived areas, with leading causes of death identified as cardiac disease, mental health conditions and thrombosis.

·       RBFT supported approximately 5,800 women annually, with around 4,800 births per year, serving a diverse population including areas within the 20% most deprived nationally.

·       Perinatal mortality was discussed, noting a rolling RBFT rate of 4.91 per 1,000 births (Q1–Q3 2025/26), slightly above the 2023 national comparator of 4.84. A multidisciplinary deep dive review was underway, focusing on medical review, thematic analysis, ethnicity and deprivation.

·       Disparities had been identified in 2023–24, including a perinatal mortality rate for Black women of 6.19 per 1,000 births, three times higher than for White women.

·       Neonatal outcomes were reported to be below the national target for term admissions, with no increased neonatal morbidity identified for ethnic minority women in 2024/25.

·       Maternal outcomes were reported as stable, with further work planned to analyse outcomes by ethnicity through the National Maternal Care Bundle.

The Committee were also informed about actions taken to reduce inequalities, including:

·       Continuity of care teams.

·       Cultural competence training.

·       An Inclusion Midwife appointment.

·       Expansion of enhanced interpretation services via WordSki.

·       Targeted community engagement through the Maternity and Neonatal Voice Partnership, resulting in improved early booking rates.

·       Supporting targeted initiatives to improve early booking, mental health support and safe sleep.

The Committee welcomed the report and recognised the scale of work underway. Discussion focused on the Trust’s response to the interim findings of the Baroness Amos review, workforce capacity and representation, the role of maternity and family hubs, community engagement, and the need for improved data to evidence impact on health outcomes.

Officers emphasised the importance of partnership working, learning from national reviews, strengthening complaints and Call for Concern processes, maintaining safe staffing levels, and improving access through maternity hubs.

Healthwatch representative Alice Kunjappy-Clifton attended the meeting and asked a question regarding what local action was being discussed or taken by maternity services regarding patients reporting they had experienced discrimination. In response it was noted that all staff were undertaking mandatory cultural competency training and any reported discrimination was thoroughly investigated.

The Chair thanked Cllr Mpofu-Coles for raising this issue during her time as Chair of ACE Committee. The Chair also thanked Sarah Bailey for the information and looked forward to an update to be provided to the Committee in 12 months.

Resolved – That an update report be provided to the Committee in 12 months.