BAME Birthing With Colour Online Academy
Webinars
1. The 3.7x Gap Won't Close Itself
Wednesday, September 30 • 5 PM – 6:30 PM GMT (Online)
Anti-Racism, Culture Change and the Evidence Base for Equitable Maternity Care
Black women in England remain 3.7 times more likely to die during or after pregnancy than their white counterparts. Black babies are more than twice as likely to be stillborn as white babies. The Nursing and Midwifery Council has characterised racism in maternity care as a national emergency.
The evidence is not in dispute. The question is what we do about it.
In May 2026, NHS England and the NHS Race and Health Observatory launched the Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme — a national initiative spanning seven NHS regions, designed to embed anti-discriminatory practice across NHS perinatal services. The NMC has introduced new anti-racism curriculum principles for midwifery education. The Royal College of Midwives has published its Decolonising the Midwifery Education Toolkit. The policy framework is in place.
From evidence to execution
This webinar asks the harder question: what does it actually take to change culture in a maternity setting? What does anti-racism look like in practice — in the training room, on the ward, in the curriculum, and in the community? And what can we learn from those already doing this work?
Attendees will leave with
- An understanding of the national policy landscape, including PEADP, the NMC’s new anti-racism curriculum principles and the RCM’s Decolonising the Midwifery Education Toolkit and what it means for maternity services
- Practical frameworks for engaging clinical leadership and creating anti-racist cultures within maternity units
- Insight into what anti-racism training looks like when it is embedded rather than episodic, drawing on real NHS trust experience
- Evidence from community health worker models on how community-rooted approaches can support equitable care
- A clear understanding of what the professional bodies are requiring of the workforce and what trust leads and midwifery educators need to do in response
- Actionable next steps for trust leads, midwifery educators, and policy leads attending
Speakers
Molly Perez
LMSW Maternal-Infant Health Programme Lead | Kent County Health Department
Sherilyn Ndhlovu
EDI Specialist Midwife, The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust; BAME Midwife of the Year 2025 (National Health & Social Care Awards)
Clare Livingstone
Head of Professional Policy and Practice, Royal College of Midwives
Heather Bower
Head of Education, Royal College of Midwives
Professor Dame Donna Kinnair DBE
Former Chief Executive and General Secretary, Royal College of Nursing; Board Member, NHS Race and Health Observatory
Join us for more!
This webinar is the first in a series of webinars leading up to the one day virtual conference:
BAME Birthing With Colour 2027: Talks. Workshops. Networking. Social. CPD
Saturday, January 30 2027, 8:30 AM
To view the programme and book your tickets please visit:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bame-birthing-with-colour-2027-talks-workshops-networking-social-cpd-tickets-1990311405993
2. Dying in Silence: Maternal Suicide, Deprivation and the Postcode Lottery
Wednesday, October 28 • 5 PM – 6 PM GMT (Online)
Suicide is now the leading cause of maternal death in the UK between six weeks and one year after birth.
New data from the Royal College of Psychiatrists (May 2026) highlights the scale of inequality: 30.68% of maternal suicides occur in the most deprived 10% of areas in England, compared with 13.64% in the least deprived.
From diagnosis to resolution
This webinar examines what the data reveals, why access remains so uneven, and what commissioners, clinicians, and policymakers must do to close the gap.
Attendees will leave with
- The latest 2026 data on maternal suicide rates, deprivation gradients, and ethnic disparities in perinatal mental health outcomes
- An understanding of why the “postcode lottery” persists and the structural barriers preventing equitable access to specialist perinatal mental health services
- Evidence from the Journal of Affective Disorders on the consequences of untreated antenatal psychological difficulties for mothers and newborns
- Practical models for integrating routine mental health screening into standard maternity care pathways
- Policy levers available to commissioners and NHS trusts to address geographic and socioeconomic inequities in service provision
- A framework for cross-sector collaboration between maternity services, mental health trusts, and community organisations
Speakers
Charlotte Henderson
Perinatal Safeguarding Advocate; Birth Doula; Founder, The Dependency Doula; Co-founder, The Conduit Collective CIC
Jess Creaby-Attwood
Campaigns and Policy Officer, Maternal Mental Health Alliance
Madelyne Libao
MSW Candidate, Chamberlain University; Social Work Intern, Daughters of Both Suns
Dr Livia Martucci
Chair, Perinatal Faculty, Royal College of Psychiatrists
Join us for more!
This webinar is the second in a series of webinars leading up to the one day virtual conference:
BAME Birthing With Colour 2027: Talks. Workshops. Networking. Social. CPD
Saturday, January 30 2027, 8:30 AM
To view the programme and book your tickets please visit:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bame-birthing-with-colour-2027-talks-workshops-networking-social-cpd-tickets-1990311405993
3. Why Closing the Maternal Health Gap is a £24 Billion Opportunity
Thursday, November 19 • 5 PM – 6:30 PM GMT (Online)
How can health system leaders use economic arguments to unlock funding?
The case for closing maternal health disparities has long been made on moral and clinical grounds. In 2026, the economic argument is just as compelling and difficult for policymakers and health system leaders to ignore.
A March 2026 analysis estimates the cost of the Black maternal health gap in the United States at $24 billion each year. In the UK, preventable maternal and infant deaths, long-term morbidity, and lost productivity in the most deprived communities together represent a substantial and measurable burden on both the NHS and the wider economy.
Global evidence points to the returns on addressing these gaps. The McKinsey Health Institute has modelled the economic gains from closing women’s health disparities, while initiatives such as the Preeclampsia Foundation’s 2026 Vision Grant Programme and recent Medicaid coverage extensions in eight US states reflect a growing recognition that investment in equity delivers tangible returns.
Setting out the economic case for maternal health equity in a UK context
This webinar examines the cost of inaction, the return on targeted investment, and how health system leaders can use economic arguments to unlock funding and political will.
Attendees will leave with
- A clear economic framework for quantifying the cost of maternal health disparities in the UK — including preventable deaths, long-term morbidity, and productivity losses
- Insight from McKinsey Health Institute modelling on the return on investment from closing women’s health gaps
- Evidence from the US on the $24 billion annual cost of the Black maternal health gap and lessons for UK policymakers
- How to use economic arguments to make the case for equity investment to NHS boards, integrated care boards, and government
- Examples of targeted funding programmes — including the Preeclampsia Foundation’s 2026 Vision Grant and US Medicaid extensions — and what the UK can learn from them
- A practical toolkit for health system leaders to build the economic case for maternal health equity in their own organisations
Panel
Latoya Hill
Senior Policy Manager, Racial Equity and Health Policy Program, KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Joshua Traylor
MPH, Executive Director, Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT), University of Michigan
Professor Oliver Rivero-Arias
Senior Researcher, National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford
Associate Professor Ramon Luengo-Fernandez
Associate Professor, National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford
Caroline Morgan Berchuck
Associate Partner, McKinsey Health Institute, McKinsey & Company
Join us for more!
This webinar is the third in a series of webinars leading up to the one day virtual conference:
BAME Birthing With Colour 2027: Talks. Workshops. Networking. Social. CPD
Saturday, January 30 2027, 8:30 AM
To view the programme and book your tickets please visit:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bame-birthing-with-colour-2027-talks-workshops-networking-social-cpd-tickets-1990311405993