Warwick Medical School has been announced as a member of a new national Consortium to tackle inequalities in maternity care.

In an announcement by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), nine groups, led by UK universities have been selected to form a national £50m programme, the NIHR Maternity Disparities Consortium. The research carried out across the Consortium will focus on inequalities before, during and after pregnancy, and will also focus on building capacity for further research to help improve services over time.

The nine groups in the Consortium are made up of universities, local councils, NHS trusts, charities, industry and other health organisations. The Health Outcome for Pregnancy Equity (HOPE)-West Midlands group is led by Professor Joht Singh Chandan at the University of Birmingham, who has also been appointed as national Co-Director of the programme. Dr Beck Taylor, Clinical Associate Professor in Public Health at Warwick Medical School, will be a co-lead of HOPE West Midlands team alongside Dr Victoria Hodgetts Morton from the University of Birmingham, Professor Will Parry-Smith from Keele University and Dr Marion Gibbon from Birmingham City Council.

Dr Taylor said: “This new Consortium is an unparalleled opportunity to tackle the persistent maternity inequalities affecting life chances across the UK. These unacceptable differences are felt particularly by communities in our own region, the West Midlands. This Consortium is the first of its kind, and we cannot wait to get started on this programme. As part of the Consortium we’ll bring together communities, professionals and researchers to drive the change that women, babies and society urgently needs.”

The Consortium members span most regions of the UK, ensuring a wide perspective on tackling maternity inequalities. Each consortium member is receiving some initial funding to build relationships with charities, the life sciences industry and patient groups with relevant expertise and a key aim is to ensure the research can lead to measurable improvements in care before, during and after pregnancy.

The Consortium will also have a long-term goal of supporting the next generation of research leaders in maternal healthcare. This will allow ongoing research to improve care for women and babies for years to come.

Professor Marian Knight, Scientific Director for NIHR Infrastructure, said: “We are delighted by the level of engagement shown by researchers with this important research priority. I am confident we have an exceptional consortium to tackle the challenge of maternity inequalities; working in partnership with existing NIHR funded infrastructure and programmes. We look forward to working with the consortium and their collaborators across the UK to develop the final plans for their ground-breaking new research projects over the next few months.”

Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron said: “Every woman should receive safe, personalised and compassionate maternity care, regardless of background. We are determined to tackle the stark and unacceptable inequalities in maternity services and are working with NHS England to urgently improve care. Government-funded research like this is crucial to driving positive change.

“This is part of our mission to build an NHS fit for the future by harnessing the full potential of our research and life sciences sector.”