Businesses can play an important role in ensuring that all groups receive good maternity care, according to Peppy.
This follows the publication of studies from the charity Birthrights that indicate racial discrepancies in maternity care. Support needs to be all-inclusive, encompassing fertility, all stages of pregnancy and birth, antenatal and post-natal, right through to the early days of parenting and early childhood.
According to Peppy, it is critical to provide access to specialised clinicians who can provide expert advice, assistance, and information from clinical experts. Experts can draw attention to issues that people should be aware of, offer support for specific concerns, and put people in the correct path for getting their problems looked out, as well as explain diagnosis and treatment choices.
Peppy director of fertility and women’s health services Francesca Steyn says: “It’s very disappointing to see the disparity of care given to different ethnic groups resulting in much poorer outcomes during pregnancy and childbirth.
“It’s important for employers to recognise that they can play a vital role in ensuring all are treated equally. As part of organisations’ D&I policies, employee benefits offerings and maternity policies we are seeing an increasing number of employers offer access to specialist support, and this makes a huge difference, particularly in ensuring consistency of care across all groups and demographics.
“Our midwives see the difference their advice makes. The available support that’s accessible via employee benefits has advanced hugely in recent years, and employers that offer access to such support make a huge difference to the lives of their staff, and can actively contribute to improving equality in care.”