Pregnant women suffer racist and discriminatory abuse at NHS trust, says inquiry head

Expectant mothers at a scandal-hit NHS trust have experienced “discriminatory and racist behaviour” including staff mimicking their accents and refusing to provide interpreters, according to the head of an inquiry into its failings.

As part of the largest inquiry into a single service in the history of the NHS, Donna Ockenden’s team is conducting a review with more than 1,900 families who have experienced stillbirth, neonatal death, maternal death or babies diagnosed with brain damage at Nottingham University hospitals NHS trust (NUH).

Ockenden, a senior midwife, said she had concerns about reports of racist behaviour uncovered during her interviews with families and 744 staff members who have come forward to participate in the review.

“Both family and staff are reporting discriminatory and racist behaviour,” Ockenden told the Guardian. “Local women of Asian origin are reporting white women in the bed opposite being treated more kindly. They have had their accents mimicked, their facial movements mimicked, have been made fun of and seen staff laughing at them."

Ockenden said women were often not able to give informed consent to difficult procedures as they were told they “understood enough” when they asked for an interpreter. She added that she had found women from the most deprived backgrounds, of all races, were “certainly reporting to me very negative experiences of maternity services.”

Anthony May, the chief executive of NUH, said: “I want to apologise to these women and families for the shortcomings identified and pain caused. I also apologise to anyone who has experienced racism in our hospitals."

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Source: Guardian, 24 July 2024