Southampton part of £50m effort to transform maternal health
Researchers across the UK are joining forces to develop a ‘national blueprint’ for care and support before and between pregnancies.
Southampton researchers are part of a new £50 million programme from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The aim is to transform maternal health through pioneering research.
Driving forward vital research
Maternal health inequalities remain one of the most pressing challenges facing the NHS.
In the UK, Black women continue to face a substantially higher risk of dying during or after pregnancy than white women.
Women and families living in the most deprived communities continue to experience worse outcomes.
The programme is known as the NIHR Inequalities Challenge: Maternity Disparities Consortium. It is led by the universities of Newcastle and Birmingham.
The consortium brings together higher education, NHS, community and voluntary organisations. Together, they aim to reduce disparities in maternity outcomes.
The NIHR has committed £50 million over five years to drive forward this vital research. This will be led by clinicians, researchers and communities across the consortium.
It marks the most significant step forward in maternal health research in a generation.
Improving care before pregnancy
The University of Southampton (UoS) is leading research into health before and between pregnancies, capitalising on research from the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). Their aim is to reduce inequalities in maternity care experienced by minoritised groups.
The programme will work with minoritised communities and care providers. They will help develop a practical 'blueprint' to improve care and support before and between pregnancies.
Professor Keith Godfrey leads the NIHR Southampton BRC's nutrition, lifestyle and metabolism theme.
He said: “People who are healthy before they get pregnant have a higher chance of keeping healthy during pregnancy and of having healthier babies.
“Many health problems can be hard to fix once someone is already pregnant, so it’s important to provide care and support before and between pregnancies.
“No such system of care and support currently exists in the UK, so this research to develop a national blueprint is urgently needed.”
The Southampton team will work with Queen’s University Belfast and University College London. They will also work with Hampshire and Isle of Wight and Central East Integrated Care Boards, public contributors and Wessex Health Partners.
Dr Danielle Schoenaker is an emerging Co-lead at UoS and the NIHR Southampton BRC.
She said: “Developing a national blueprint for care and support before and between pregnancies lays the foundation for healthier mothers, children and families.
“It can help mums and babies stay well. It also builds a kinder, more supportive community, where every family can have a better future.”
Pivotal moment for maternity care
The launch comes at a pivotal moment for maternity care in the UK. National attention increasingly focuses on improving safety, equity and women's experiences of care.
The Government's renewed Women's Health Strategy highlights the need to improve care before and between pregnancies for marginalised communities.
Against this backdrop, the consortium will generate evidence, interventions and research capacity. This will help translate national ambition into practical changes for women, babies and families.
Professor Judith Rankin OBE from Newcastle University is Consortium Co-lead for Research and Capacity Development.
She said: “This funding represents a critical opportunity to make the step change we need to improve outcomes for women and their babies.
“Alongside the research, the Consortium will be investing in tomorrow's research leaders today. This will ensure we have the capacity to deliver on improving pregnancy outcomes, access to, and experience of, care.”
Professor Joht Singh Chandan from the University of Birmingham is Consortium Co-lead for Research.
He said: “National attention on maternity safety and equity has never been greater. Ambition must now be matched by evidence and implementation.
“Through this consortium, we will work across the UK to understand what works, for whom and in what contexts. We will work to ensure that research leads to practical changes in care for the women, babies and families who need them most.”