Maternal deaths surge by 20% as Tory pledge falters on UK's healthcare front.
The UK government's ambitious goal to halve the maternal mortality rate by 2025 has hit a major roadblock, with new data revealing a staggering 20% increase in women dying during or shortly after pregnancy over the past decade. This upward trend defies the Conservative party's pledge, leaving health experts and campaigners aghast.
The alarming statistic is based on figures from MBRRACE-UK, a University of Oxford-led research project that tracks maternal deaths in the UK. The findings show that between 2009-11 and 2022-24, women's mortality rates rose by 20%, with direct pregnancy-related causes accounting for the majority of these deaths. Blood clots were the leading cause, often treatable if identified early.
Critics say the surge is symptomatic of a broader failure to address pressures on maternity services, workforce shortages, and inequalities in care. "Progress towards our ambition has stalled," stated Marian Knight, programme lead at MBRRACE-UK. "The rise is very concerning, particularly as maternity service pressures have not eased."
The UK's maternal mortality rate now stands significantly higher than the EU average, highlighting a stark disparity in healthcare outcomes between the two regions.
Campaigners also lamented that many deaths are preventable with timely treatment. Dr Kim Thomas, chief executive of the Birth Trauma Association, echoed this sentiment: "We often hear stories from women of life-threatening conditions being missed and it is clear something has gone badly wrong in maternity care."
Furthermore, the audit revealed stark inequalities in maternal mortality rates across different demographics. Black women were nearly three times more likely to die during or shortly after pregnancy than their white counterparts. Asian women faced a higher risk of death than white women, while those living in deprived areas had twice the rate of those from less deprived communities.
Women aged 35 or above were also significantly more at risk of maternal mortality than younger age groups. The Royal College of Midwives called for an immediate overhaul of maternity services under "extreme pressure," emphasizing the need to address workforce shortages and invest in healthcare infrastructure.
"We're being failed by a maternity system that is stretched to capacity," said Clare Livingstone, head of professional policy and practice at the RCM. "Unacceptable inequalities continue to blight maternity care with black and Asian women facing significantly higher risks."
The UK government's failure to meet its maternal mortality reduction targets has sparked outrage among health experts and campaigners, who argue that meaningful action must be taken to address preventable harm and improve healthcare outcomes for women and families.
The UK government's ambitious goal to halve the maternal mortality rate by 2025 has hit a major roadblock, with new data revealing a staggering 20% increase in women dying during or shortly after pregnancy over the past decade. This upward trend defies the Conservative party's pledge, leaving health experts and campaigners aghast.
The alarming statistic is based on figures from MBRRACE-UK, a University of Oxford-led research project that tracks maternal deaths in the UK. The findings show that between 2009-11 and 2022-24, women's mortality rates rose by 20%, with direct pregnancy-related causes accounting for the majority of these deaths. Blood clots were the leading cause, often treatable if identified early.
Critics say the surge is symptomatic of a broader failure to address pressures on maternity services, workforce shortages, and inequalities in care. "Progress towards our ambition has stalled," stated Marian Knight, programme lead at MBRRACE-UK. "The rise is very concerning, particularly as maternity service pressures have not eased."
The UK's maternal mortality rate now stands significantly higher than the EU average, highlighting a stark disparity in healthcare outcomes between the two regions.
Campaigners also lamented that many deaths are preventable with timely treatment. Dr Kim Thomas, chief executive of the Birth Trauma Association, echoed this sentiment: "We often hear stories from women of life-threatening conditions being missed and it is clear something has gone badly wrong in maternity care."
Furthermore, the audit revealed stark inequalities in maternal mortality rates across different demographics. Black women were nearly three times more likely to die during or shortly after pregnancy than their white counterparts. Asian women faced a higher risk of death than white women, while those living in deprived areas had twice the rate of those from less deprived communities.
Women aged 35 or above were also significantly more at risk of maternal mortality than younger age groups. The Royal College of Midwives called for an immediate overhaul of maternity services under "extreme pressure," emphasizing the need to address workforce shortages and invest in healthcare infrastructure.
"We're being failed by a maternity system that is stretched to capacity," said Clare Livingstone, head of professional policy and practice at the RCM. "Unacceptable inequalities continue to blight maternity care with black and Asian women facing significantly higher risks."
The UK government's failure to meet its maternal mortality reduction targets has sparked outrage among health experts and campaigners, who argue that meaningful action must be taken to address preventable harm and improve healthcare outcomes for women and families.
20% increase in maternal deaths is a disaster, plain and simple. UK's failure to halve the maternal mortality rate by 2025 is a huge letdown. It's not just about numbers, it's about lives lost. Blood clots are often treatable if identified early, so what's going wrong? 
Workforce shortages and inequalities in care can't be swept under the rug. We need real change, not just empty promises. 
what's going on with maternity services? I mean, you'd think that with all the advancements in healthcare, we'd be making progress, not seeing more women dying during pregnancy. And it's not just the numbers, it's the fact that many of these deaths are preventable... like, why can't we identify blood clots early enough to treat them? 
The UK's maternal mortality rate is way higher than the EU average too... what's going on? Is it just a matter of funding or is there something deeper going on? 
! The stats on maternal deaths are just heartbreaking. I mean, a 20% increase in deaths during or shortly after pregnancy over the past decade is just staggering. It's not like they're even close to meeting their goal of halving the maternal mortality rate by 2025.
.
i can only imagine how scary it must be for new moms & their loved ones... the fact that blood clots are a leading cause but still being missed or misdiagnosed is just heartbreaking 
what's even more shocking is those inequalities - black, asian, and older women are disproportionately affected 
I mean, the UK government's goal was to halve the maternal mortality rate by 2025 but now it's like they're playing a game of chance with women's lives. 
It's all about those bloody work force shortages and maternity services being stretched to capacity 
Black women are nearly three times more likely to die during or shortly after pregnancy than white women... it's like, what even is going on here?! 
We need urgent action from the government to address these systemic issues and invest in healthcare infrastructure 
... 20% increase in maternal deaths is just insane 
! Back in my day (late 90s early 2000s), we thought the NHS was pretty good 
. But I guess times have changed and it seems like things are gettin' worse 
... and it's not just that, it's the inequalities too 
!
they're supposed to halve the rate by 2025 but instead it's gone up by 20% 
let's get these women the help they deserve ASAP 