Training for NHS midwives will be overhauled to tackle a “national emergency” of racism, which means black women are three times more likely to die in childbirth.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which regulates the profession, is introducing mandatory anti-racism training in degrees to combat “systemic” discrimination.
Maternity scandals and reviews have highlighted how racism is contributing to the avoidable deaths of mothers and babies in Britain.
Black mothers have been denied pain relief or emergency care by NHS staff after being stereotyped as “tough” or “demanding” and better able to endure pain.
The Times revealed that the NHS has been issued with 22 separate safety warnings by official bodies to address racial disparities in maternity care over the past decade, yet the situation has not improved.
Under the initiative, all universities offering midwifery degrees will have to update their curriculum to include awareness of racial biases and discrimination. From the next academic year, students will be taught about how racial stereotypes can affect care and how skin colour can affect the presentation of symptoms.
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Source: The Times, 8 April 2026
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