Agenda item

Liz Brutus, Assistant Director in Public Health, Southwark Council and Layla Glover

Public Health Programme Manager, Southwark Council presented the report.

The Board was provided with the context and background of the work undertaken over the last year to deliver Councillor’s Akoto, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing’s vision for the Southwark Maternity Commission (SMC) which was launched on the 30th September 2024.

The Commission was set up to assess and address inequalities in maternity care, particularly for families from a minority ethnic and/or socially disadvantaged background. It engaged with over 750 local residents, voluntary and community sector representatives, local maternity care service providers and local workforce.

Through its work five overarching themes were identified and along with their findings 10 recommendations were made. Three were asks of central government and the remaining seven targeted the local maternity system, voluntary and community sector organisations and Southwark Council.

The Southwark Maternity Commission identified five overarching themes:

1.  Tackling discrimination and better supporting women with specific needs.

2.  Making sure women are listened to and supported to speak up, whatever their language or background.

3.  Providing women with the right information at the right time in the right way.

4.  Joining up council and NHS services better around women’s needs, and making sure care is consistent across borough borders.

5.  Supporting the workforce to remain in their roles and be able to give compassionate and kind care for all mothers.

The Southwark Maternity Commission ten recommendations:

1.  Leadership in addressing racism that leads to unequal maternal health

2.  Develop a new national way of reporting maternal health

3.  Review the maternity workforce

4.  Evaluate the fairness of maternity services

5.  Listen to and empower families

6.  Preparation and support before pregnancy

7.  Give parents the right information, at the right time, in the right way

8.  Create a joined-up approach to families’ needs between the NHS, southeast London boroughs, and voluntary and community sector

9.  Southwark Council to review their role in maternity care

10.  Review how feedback is dealt with.

As a result of these recommendations, the Commission set out its ambition for  improvements around five key outcomes within the next five years

Outcome 1: Reduced infant mortality

Outcome 2: Reduced maternal morbidity

Outcome 3: Increased positive experience of maternity care

Outcome 4: Increased staff satisfaction

Outcome 5: Closing the health inequality gaps

Next steps for the Commission is the development of an action plan, with the implementation of actions early next year, followed by a 3 year interim review and then final 5 year review.

Establishing the governance arrangements around the maternity Commission is a key part of developing the action plan and ensuring it can be implemented across the health system.

There was discussion around making sure that the right resourcing and support is in place to ensure the successful delivery of the action plan. Included in this should be aspects such as performance monitoring, making sure the required funding is available. The Board acknowledged the importance of having a lead officer and lead partner to bring this work together and it was suggested that this role is designated the commissioners. It was further discussions would be need to help establish who this lead would be.

The Board agree to receive at its next meeting an update on the development of the Maternity Commission Action Plan

The Board acknowledged the comprehensive amount of work undertaken in helping to establish the Maternity commission and expressed their thanks to all those involved.

RESOLVED - That the Health and Wellbeing Board;

1.  Note the findings of the Southwark Maternity Commission report and  its ten recommendations and agree to take on the oversight of this work which includes a five-year action plan involving a range of local partners including Southwark residents.

2.  Receives an annual update on the progress of the Southwark Maternity Commission, a fuller three year interim review of progress in September 2027 and a final five year evaluation of progress in September 2029.