Equity for Every Baby: why the new Bliss report matters

This month, neonatal charity Bliss launched its Equity for Every Baby report at the House of Commons, drawing attention to persistent inequalities in neonatal care across the UK. The report highlights how a baby's outcomes can still be influenced by factors such as ethnicity, deprivation and wider health inequalities.

The report forms part of Bliss's ongoing work to improve outcomes for babies born premature or sick and to ensure that every family receives high-quality care and support. By bringing together evidence, data and lived experiences, it aims to drive meaningful action across the healthcare system.

The report examines inequalities experienced by babies receiving neonatal care and the families who support them. It explores how some groups continue to face poorer outcomes and identifies areas where improvements could be made.

At the heart of the report is a call for greater focus on equity within maternity and neonatal services. While neonatal care in the UK has achieved significant advances over recent decades, the findings suggest that not all babies and families benefit equally from those improvements.

For families navigating a neonatal admission, the experience can be overwhelming. Ensuring fair access to safe, high-quality care is therefore not only a matter of healthcare delivery but also of giving every child the best possible start in life.

Sadly, the issues raised in this report come as no surprise. From our experience of speaking with clients and families, there is certainly evidence of disparity in their experiences of childbirth across a range of maternity service providers. However, these statistics serve as a stark reminder that, for some babies, the chances of a safe start in life are undermined by entrenched inequalities and by failures to recognise and respond to the disparities in outcomes associated with ethnicity, socioeconomic circumstances, and wider health inequalities among mothers and babies. We are not all the same; we should respect that and adapt the healthcare provided accordingly.

We believe that it is only by raising awareness of the extent of these inequities that they can be addressed. There is a need to educate not only clinicians at every level, but also the families who may fall into any of the higher- risk categories and encourage them to speak out for themselves, or to seek patient advocate support to do so. It is essential that the findings of reports such as this lead to tangible action.

A starting point for improving outcomes must be by creating an environment of openness, accountability, and reflection, on and a willingness to learn from poor outcomes, recognising the need to adjust practice in a truly patient- centred way. By working together to address inequalities and place the experiences of babies and families at the centre of decision-making, there is a genuine opportunity to improve neonatal care and reduce the risk of avoidable harm in the future.

There are so many inequalities in this world, but we should aim to at least give all babies an equal first start in life.

We believe that it is only by raising awareness of the extent of these inequities that they can be addressed. There is a need to educate not only clinicians at every level, but also the families who may fall into any of the higher-risk categories and encourage them to speak out for themselves, or to seek patient advocate support to do so. It is essential that the findings of reports such as this lead to tangible action.

A starting point for improving outcomes must be creating an environment of openness, accountability, reflection, and a willingness to learn from poor outcomes, recognising the need to adjust practice in a truly patient-centred way. By working together to address inequalities and place the experiences of babies and families at the centre of decision-making, there is a genuine opportunity to improve neonatal care and reduce the risk of avoidable harm in the future.

Our specialist medical negligence team supports families affected by negligent maternity, birth and neonatal care. We understand the significant challenges families can face when a child suffers an avoidable injury or where concerns arise about the care they received.

We help families investigate what happened, obtain independent expert evidence and understand their legal options. Where appropriate, we can pursue compensation to fund rehabilitation, specialist therapies, care, equipment and long-term support.

Every baby deserves the best possible start in life, regardless of their ethnicity, background or circumstances. The publication of Equity for Every Baby is an important contribution to the conversation around improving neonatal care and reducing inequalities across the healthcare system.

At Russell-Cooke, we welcome initiatives that seek to improve outcomes for babies and families while continuing to support those affected when standards of care fall short of what they are entitled to expect.