4 h. ago Systemic racism affects maternity care for black women in England, say MPs

Commons committee finds women’s concerns not taken seriously due to bias, stereotyping and racist assumptionsBlack women in England are still facing poorer outcomes in their maternity care due to systemic racism, alongside failures in leadership and data collection, according to a group of MPs.Across the UK, black women are more than twice as likely to die in childbirth compared with their white counterparts, while babies born to black mothers are at an increased risk of stillbirth. Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago Racism a main cause in poor maternity outcomes for Black women, damning report reveals

The issue is ‘reinforced by bias and stereotyping underpinned, in some cases, by racist assumptions’, the report added

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4 h. ago Black women face maternity care crisis as racism a 'core driver', MPs warn

In its inquiry, the Health and Social Committee 'repeatedly' heard that racism is 'one of the core drivers' of Black women facing disproportionately poor outcomes in maternity care

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52 h. ago Revealed: The 14 NHS trusts facing national investigation into their maternity care

Leeds Teaching Hospitals and Oxford University Hospitals among the trusts to be scrutinised in Baroness Amos review

Events

52 h. ago 14 NHS trusts to be focus of national maternity investigation are named

The investigation is to make recommendations to urgently improve care and safety in maternity and neonatal care.

Events

3 d. ago New Zealand survive scare against South Africa to progress to Women’s World Cup semi

New Zealand 46-17 South Africa: The Women’s Springboks impressed in Exeter but the class of the Black Ferns eventually told

Events

4 d. ago Shannon Miller: Ginga Jay rant proves Black women always carry the weight of stereotypes

Viral content creator Ginga Jay's rant was aimed at Black women being "put in their place" and reinforced outdated stereotypes and a narrative that is exhausting to carry

Politics

5 d. ago More than half of UK babies born with medical intervention, maternal care audit finds

Experts have linked the increase of medical intervention with the increasing trend of older women giving birth

Transport

9 d. ago Kate Middleton dons black £1,500 Alexander McQueen blazer at the Women's Rugby World Cup

The Princess of Wales oozed sophistication in a £1,500 Alexander McQueen black blazer and a £560 Knatchbull's Cascade Blouse as she attended the Women's Rugby World Cup

Politics

1 week ago Martha’s Rule must be rolled out to maternity care, urges mother of teenager who died of sepsis

Merope Mills says new rapid review service should be available to maternity services ‘to give women a greater voice’

Events

1 week ago England’s toxic road runoff pollution being ignored, MPs told

Carcinogens entering waterways from 25,000 road outflows are not monitored or regulated by Environment Agency, committee hearsToxic, carcinogenic pollution that pours from 25,000 road outflows into rivers in England is being ignored by politicians and regulators, MPs have been told.Road runoff containing toxic particles from tyres and brakes, and pollution from fuel and oil spills – which washes into rivers after rainfall – can devastate aquatic life and, by increasing toxicity, reduce the overall health of waterways. It is responsible for 18% of the reason all rivers fail to meet good ecological and chemical standards. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Free bus travel update for over 60s in England amid new call for expansion

A huge campaign has been taking place pushing for free travel to be given to over 60s in England and MPS have called for young adults to get the perk too

Transport

2 w. ago ‘I still feel a part of my team’: Ruby Tui on starring as a TV pundit after her Black Ferns omission

Left out of New Zealand’s Women’s Rugby World Cup squad, the serial champion is impressing on TV insteadRuby Tui was the player everyone was talking about when New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup squad was announced last month but not for the reason fans may have expected. The 33-year-old had not made the squad but, as is her nature, Tui is determined to turn her omission into a positive. “I do want young players to know selection doesn’t get easy,” she says. “But also it is team first, always and 100% of the time, especially when it’s hard.”The star of New Zealand’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad, who has also won Olympic gold and silver, and the Sevens World Cup, Tui was squeezed out by competition in the back three with Ayesha Leti-I’iga and Portia Woodman‑Wickliffe getting the nod. While acknowledging that being left out was difficult, Tui’s focus is firmly on supporting the Black Ferns. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Opposing sides chant and shout outside asylum hotel in Perth

Rival groups called Abolish Asylum System and Perth Against Racism held protests outside the Radisson Blu.

Events

3 w. ago Police staff member suspended over security breach in maternity care investigation

Nottinghamshire Police said information was allegedly changed or deleted from its systems

Events

3 w. ago Be brave: Black Ferns’ key message for Women’s Rugby World Cup defence

Six-times champions are aiming to play with courage as they seek to defend the title they won at home in 2022When New Zealand’s director of performance Allan Bunting took to the mic to sing a rendition of Dua Lipa’s hit ‘Levitating’ at Manurewa intermediate school, the Black Ferns’ last stop before travelling to England for the Women’s Rugby World Cup, he was not only making headlines but perpetuating the champions’ message for the tournament: be brave.Bunting has been putting himself out of his comfort zone in the lead-up to the competition, on another occasion performing a Haka in front of his players and staff. His karaoke turn caught the team’s attention with the wing Ayesha Leti-I’iga, who scored two tries in the World Cup final in 2022, cracking up laughing when asked about it. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Russia is targeting us deliberately’: how attacks on maternity hospitals fuelled a birth crisis in Ukraine

Women have been left fearful of childbirth after more than 80 attacks on maternity units since the invasion, leading to the world’s lowest birth rate and the highest mortality rateIt was one of the most horrifying targets of Russia’s war on Ukraine so far. Reports showed a pregnant woman on a stretcher, her face ashen with shock, legs smeared with blood and a hand holding her bump. Behind her, the bombed-out ruins of Mariupol’s maternity hospital. More than a dozen people, including women in labour, were injured in the attack in March 2022. The woman photographed, Iryna Kalinina, later died along with her unborn baby.In the three years since then, maternity care in Ukraine has remained under constant attack, with more than 2,000 strikes on medical facilities, including 81 affecting maternal care and delivery rooms. Just last month, Diana Koshyk, seven months pregnant, was killed when a missile struck a maternity hospital in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago ‘Russia is targeting us deliberately’: how attacks on maternity hospitals fuelled a birth

Women have been left fearful of childbirth after more than 80 attacks on maternity units since the invasion, leading to the world’s lowest birth rate and the highest mortality rateIt was one of the most horrifying targets of Russia’s war on Ukraine so far. Reports showed a pregnant woman on a stretcher, her face ashen with shock, legs smeared with blood and a hand holding her bump. Behind her, the bombed-out ruins of Mariupol’s maternity hospital. More than a dozen people, including women in labour, were injured in the attack in March 2022. The woman photographed, Iryna Kalinina, later died along with her unborn baby.In the three years since then, maternity care in Ukraine has remained under constant attack, with more than 2,000 strikes on medical facilities, including 81 affecting maternal care and delivery rooms. Just last month, Diana Koshyk, seven months pregnant, was killed when a missile struck a maternity hospital in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region. Continue reading...

Events