Five X More Black Maternity Experiences Report: Continuing the Conversation on Black Maternal Care in the UK

“There is no moment more critical in a woman’s life than the journey into motherhood and yet for far too many Black women in the UK, that journey is marked by fear, dismissal and unequal care.”

– Five X More Black Maternity Experience Report 2025

Women’s health organisation Five X More published their second Black Maternity Experiences Report yesterday, 21^st July 2025. The report surveyed more than 1100 Black and Black mixed-heritage women across the UK who had been pregnant between July 2021 and March 2025, and analysed the results of 845 responses for publication.

At Baby Lifeline, we are committed to reducing avoidable harm in maternity and neonatal services. Yesterday’s report findings underscore the importance of listening to women and birthing people, respecting their autonomy, and providing culturally competent care. These are core principles that run throughout our training, research and lobbying work.

What did the report find?

• 60% of Black women rated their antenatal care as good or high quality
• 54% experienced challenges with healthcare professionals
• 28% of Black women reported discrimination and, of these, 25% said that this was due to issues around race
• 45% raised concerns during labour or birth and, of these, 49% felt their concerns were not properly addressed
• 23% of Black women did not receive the pain relief they requested and, of these, 40% were given no explanation
• Only 20% of women were given information on how to make a complaint.

The report calls for better training for healthcare professionals, especially around bias and communication. Baby Lifeline has long championed evidence-based training that equips maternity teams with the skills to deliver safe, respectful, and inclusive care. This report reinforces the need for such training to be widespread and mandatory.

Is care improving for Black and Black mixed-heritage women in the UK?

Five X More was founded in 2019 by Clo Abe and Tinuke Awe following their own experiences of birth, and statistics that showed that Black women were five times more likely to die in pregnancy, birth or postnatally than white women (MBRRACE 2018). As of 2025, Black women are now nearly three times more likely, and Asian women are twice as likely, to die during or shortly after pregnancy than white women.

Compared with Five X More’s first Black Maternity Experiences Report, published in 2022, the report shows that Black women are still experiencing discrimination whilst using maternity services, their pain is still being downplayed or ignored, and are not receiving key information relevant to their care. The report also found that Black women felt that their care options were influenced by their race, and that they feel an increasing need to advocate for themselves – which the report writers describe as “more often a survival mechanism, not a sign of progress.”

The report also shares positive examples of compassionate and respectful care, arguing  that though many Black women had good experiences, this should be “the norm, not the exception.”

What does the report recommend?

The report makes six key recommendations to improve the quality, equity and experience of maternity care:

1. Improve access to complaints and support mechanisms in maternity care.
   Action: Increase the awareness of, and engagement with, an improved Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).
   
   

2. Support earlier diagnosis, safer care and better outcomes across the maternity pathway.
   Action: Strengthen clinical knowledge, resources and training on conditions that disproportionately affect Black women.
   
   

3. Support informed consent and access to pain management.
   Action: Introduce a Mandatory Pain Relief Explanation Policy in all NHS maternity settings.
   
   

4. Improve transparency, trust and access to support.
   Action: Install maternity rights posters in all NHS maternity settings.
   
   

5. Champion informed care before, during and after pregnancy.
   Action: Develop a national digital health information pack for Black women.
   
   

6. Drive safe, joined up and personalised care.
   Action: Advance existing digital maternity record systems.