Agenda item

The DMD presented to the Board highlighting the following;

·  The still born rate in Barking and Dagenham is 2.2 per 1,000;

·  50% of woman who give birth are from black and ethnic minorities

Barking and Dagenham had;

·  the second highest admission rate for neonatal intensive care admissions in North East London;

·  the second highest rate of caesarean sections in North East London

·  the Highest prevalence of obesity and blood pressure among black and mixed race women;

The Maternity Senior Responsible Office (MSRO) cautioned the Board that not all maternity data recorded ethnic origin and that further research was ongoing.

An action plan was being drawn up on further data analysis and NHS England had provided recommendations on topics of analysis and methods. Deep dives of identified key issues would be undertaken as well as community asset mapping.

Owing to the Omicron variant, the plan had been delayed but it was hoped that the analysis of the first phase of data would be undertaken by the end of February 2022.

The Board was taken through data on ethnic minority staff showing that there had been an increase in ethnic minority staff in senior positions. The Board praised the report for its detail and showing the depth of the challenges that were faced. However, the Board also expressed concern that five woman died within 42 days of delivery and that no information on the ethnicity of the women was included.

The Board also expressed concern at the higher levels of obesity among women from black and minority ethnic communities (BAME) and that a lower number of Black and Asian woman were taking folic acid. The Board, noting that the report suggested this could be due to deprivation, questioned whether this required further analysis as opposed to urgent action. The Director of Nursing and Caldicott Guardian (DNCG) at NELCCG clarified that an action plan was being drawn up but that further analysis would be undertaken and the results fed into the plan.

In relation to folic acid, the DNCG disclosed that it was provided free to pregnant woman, so it was not related to cost but understanding and knowledge. Improving information provided to BAME pregnant woman was a priority. The Board also noted that twice as many women from a BAME background were affected by Covid-19 as white woman and urged that action be taken to address this.

The Board heard that white staff were more likely to be appointed from a shortlist that included BAME and that inequality was an issue in BHRUT. The Board noted that whilst BAME staff were more likely to access training courses, this was not having any apparent effect on promotion.

The DNCG responded to the Board’s concerns acknowledging that improvements in the reporting of ethnicity was required. Racism remained a problem in the NHS and may be impacting on recruitment and treatment of BAME woman. The DNCG assured the Board that racism would be challenged and addressed.

An equality and diversity director, from a BAME background, has been recruited to BHRUT’s executive board to ensure that the recruitment process addressed the issues raised. BHRUT’s representatives were confident that, by next year, the issues would be addressed.

The Chair requested, and the DNCG agreed, that going forward, Eastern Europeans be listed separately as Barking and Dagenham had a large population and listing them as ‘white’ would mean potential issues would be missed.

The Board noted the report.