The number of women dying during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth in the UK has risen, according to official figures, despite a decline in the number of births. Data compiled by the House of Commons library shows that 254 maternal deaths occurred between 2021 and 2023, up from 209 in 2015-17.
The maternal mortality rate has also increased, from 9.16 deaths per 100,000 women giving birth in 2015-17 to 12.67 per 100,000 in 2021-23. The most recent figure is slightly lower than the 275 deaths recorded in 2020-22, which had the highest rate in eight years at 13.56 per 100,000.
The statistics were drawn from reports by MBRRACE-UK, the official audit of maternity care. Jess Brown-Fuller, the Liberal Democrat health spokesperson who commissioned the research, described the rise as “appalling”. She said: “Families are being torn apart and unimaginable pain is being caused after years of shocking neglect so that now, even with the number of births declining, the number of deaths are rising.”
The government has acknowledged the problem. Health Secretary Wes Streeting recently announced a “rapid national investigation” into what he called a “crisis” in maternity and neonatal services. The investigation will examine care in up to ten areas of concern, including Leeds and Sussex.
MBRRACE-UK has also found significant disparities, with women aged 35 or over three times more likely to die than those aged 20-24, and black women at more than double the risk of white women. This follows previous maternity scandals at NHS trusts including Morecambe Bay, East Kent, Shrewsbury and Telford, and Nottingham.
The Commons library research found that progress in 11 of 31 areas promised under NHS England's three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services has gone backwards, including staff response to women's concerns during labour and postnatal care explanations.
