**RCMDecolonising midwifery education toolkit: reflections and evaluation of the first 18 months**

Bower, Heather
Bekoe, Jayne
Chapman, Maxine
Essat, Zaheera
Gregory, Bernadette
Okiki, Carina
Palmer, Selena
Patel, Priti

Authors
Jayne Bekoe, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Royal College of Midwives, UK.
Maxine Chapman, Lecturer in Midwifery, University of Leicester, UK.
Dr Zaheera Essat, Senior Lecturer in Midwifery, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK.
Bernadette Gregory, Senior Lecturer in Midwifery, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK.
Carina Okiki, Specialist Midwife for EDI, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, UK.
Selena Palmer, Midwife, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
Priti Patel, Lead Midwife for Education and Head of Division, London Southbank University, UK.

For more information on this topic see MIC database Search Packs: MS75 Culturally sensitive maternity care; M96 Institutional racism.

MIDIRS Midwifery Digest 35(1):p 19-25, March 2025.

Introduction

Maternity care is a universal service for all women and birthing people, regardless of background, race, culture or ethnicity. In the UK, it is — or should be — equally accessible to all through NHS maternity services provision. Yet the stark statistics of the recent MBBRACE report () provide evidence of the difference in maternal outcomes for Black and Asian women when compared to White women in the UK. Black women are 3.7 times more likely than White women to die in pregnancy, childbirth and up to a year postnatally; South Asian women are 1.8 times and women of mixed race are 1.3 times more likely to die (). These statistics require action. One way in which outcomes can be improved is to increase racial literacy (to understand how racial inequalities are produced and reproduced) and decolonise midwifery education (). The aim is to encourage a greater understanding of the needs of women and families from all races, ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds, thereby eliminating the disparity in maternal and neonatal outcomes.