Southwark Maternity Commission
Southwark Maternity Commission report recommendations
What the Southwark Maternity Commission recommends to address inequalities in maternity care in Southwark and timelines for change.
The Southwark Maternity Commission was set up to review maternity care in Southwark, in particular, the experience of Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic women.
Who was involved in the Southwark Maternity Commission report
The commission was led by:
- Councillor Evelyn Akoto, Southwark Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing
- Professor Dame Donna Kinnair
- a panel of maternity experts
Over 750 residents and maternity care professionals were involved in the work, including:
- women
- family members
- grandparents
- religious groups
- local voluntary and community sectors
- frontline staff working in maternity care
- senior management and commissioners
- academics
- field experts and many more
Work with stakeholders led to five themes and priorities
The Commission consisted of six public meetings running from January to September 2024, each with a different focus and set of priorities:
Meeting 1. An introduction to the Southwark Maternity Commission
Meeting 2. Listening to the local workforce voices
Meeting 3. Listening to people who use Southwark maternity care services
Meeting 4. A focus on inequalities for Black people who have been or are pregnant
Meeting 5. Recommendations based on your view of maternity care
Meeting 6. Southwark-wide organisational commitments to maternity care changes
The Commission developed five themes from the meetings:
- Tackling discrimination and better supporting women with specific needs.
- Making sure women are listened to and supported to speak up, whatever their language or background.
- Providing women with the right information at the right time in the right way.
- Joining up council and NHS services better around women’s needs, and making sure care is consistent across borough borders.
- Supporting the workforce to remain in their roles and be able to give compassionate and kind care for all mothers.
Southwark Maternity Commission’s 10 recommendations
The Commission’s final report describes the experiences of those getting and providing care within the local maternity services. It includes 10 recommendations. These will be used to support change to reduce causes of inequality and underpin a local action plan.
1. Leadership in addressing racism that leads to unequal maternal health*
2. Develop a new national way of reporting maternal health*
3. Review the maternity workforce*
4. Evaluate the fairness of maternity services
5. Listen to and empower families
6. Preparation and support before pregnancy
7. Give parents the right information, at the right time, in the right way
8. Create a joined-up approach to families’ needs between the NHS, south east London boroughs, and voluntary and community sector
9. Southwark Council to review their role in maternity care
10. Review how feedback is dealt with
*Recommendations 1 to 3 are asks of Government.
Download the full report (PDF, 2.1MB)
You can also download the:
- engagement report by The Motherhood Group (PDF, 2.5mb)
- appendix 3: written evidence submissions (PDF, 613kb)
- appendices 4 and 5: resident and workforce surveys (PDF, 296kb)
We are aware the appendix documents are not fully accessible. If you need information in an accessible format please email maternitycommission@southwark.gov.uk
What’s next for the Maternity Commission recommendations
We want to see the recommendations put in to action over the next few years.
- September 2024: organisations commit to change
- October 2024 to April 2025: development of action plan
- April 2025 to September 2025: three-year interim review
- September 2025: five-year final review
Get involved in shaping future maternity care in Southwark
Contact the Southwark Maternity Commission via maternitycommission@southwark.gov.uk.
Page last updated: 30 September 2024
