Currently, Black Maternity Matters Cohorts are open to anyone working in perinatal care within the West of England region. This includes clinical staff, both trust and community based, from midwifery, obstetrics, perinatal mental health, neonatology, and health visiting. This list is not exhaustive, and we encourage you get in touch if you think you may benefit from taking part. While the Perinatal Course is designated for those providing hands-on care, the Senior Leaders (SL) course retains the Anti-Racist framework but focuses on how leaders in positions of power can make strategic-level changes based on course learnings. Both BMM cohorts are 6 months long, with 3 face to face days, 3 virtual sessions and a host of Quality Improvement, peer support and specialist interest groups on offer.

To date, we have trained nearly 300 people across various roles, including consultants, midwives, public health professionals, neonatal nurses, and more. This number continues to grow as we launch new cohorts. There are three perinatal cohorts simultaneously running in the NHS regions of Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire (BNSSG), Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon & Wilshire (BSW), and Gloucestershire, aimed at all perinatal staff, including community and trust-based roles. The Senior Leaders (SL) course is also ongoing. Once you become a part of a cohort, you become part of the wider ongoing BMM community, and continue to receive access and support from the BMM team and your fellow participants.

We continue to evaluate BMM. So far we have seen an increase in the levels of being psychologically able to implement anti-racist practice , being motivated and being physically able. This suggests that the training is well placed to deliver outcomes in staff behaviour, which are related to mental wellbeing and performance that help preparedness to address racism. We know from our partners, Black Mothers Matter, that there is a shift in trust in the community towards our local services. We are now working to identify the clinical impact of Black Maternity Matters, across a range of maternal and neonatal outcomes. We also know that many poor experiences of maternity and neonatal services are not recorded. We will continue to speak to and involve our local people to identify what and how we can make care even safer.

Currently we are focusing on the West of England Region, with some specially commissioned cohorts that include people from other areas. We have been very intentional so far with ensuring we are continuously improving the Black Maternity Programme, and making sure we have got exactly the right model for spread. Our ambition is that one day we can offer the opportunity to join BMM to people across the country, so keep following us to stay in the loop!

In summary, the Perinatal course is designed for frontline clinicians delivering perinatal care, while the Senior Leaders course is tailored for leaders with strategic responsibilities, focusing on systemic changes within healthcare organizations. Both groups contribute to the overarching goal of reshaping perinatal care with an anti-racist framework. The Perinatal course and the Senior Leaders course serve distinct purposes and cater to different roles within the healthcare system: Perinatal: 1. Target Audience: · Aimed at clinicians on the ground delivering perinatal care. · Includes roles such as midwives, consultants in obstetrics and gynecology, neonatal nurses and doctors, health visitors, quality leads, family nurse partners, and others involved in hands-on care. 2. Focus: · Concentrates on addressing the clinical needs of perinatal care, particularly patient safety. · Emphasizes the immediate care provided to pregnant individuals, mothers, and newborns. 3. Content: · Incorporates an Anti-Racist framework and teaching tailored for those directly involved in delivering perinatal care. · Addresses issues specific to patient safety, maternity, obstetrics, and neonatal care. 4. Learning Objectives: · Aims to transform both personal and systemic levels of understanding and practice among those directly involved in clinical care. Senior Leaders: 1. Target Audience: · Geared towards individuals in positions of power or leadership, with strategic and managerial responsibilities. · Includes heads of departments, directors, chief executive officers, and others influencing structural and system changes. 2. Focus: · Centers on how individuals in leadership positions can make strategic-level changes based on the learnings from the course. · Emphasizes influencing decision-making processes at a higher organizational level. 3. Content: · Retains the Anti-Racist framework and teaching, tailored to address strategic-level changes and decisions within healthcare organizations. · Focuses on implementing and maintaining anti-racist practices at an organizational level. 4. Learning Objectives: · Aims to empower leaders with the knowledge and tools to effect systemic change, making decisions that contribute to maintaining anti-racist organizations.

Yes, the program has been evaluated since its pilot phase inception in 2021. the current fourth phase serves as the last "proof of concept/refining stage" before formalizing and scaling our innovative approach to perinatal care. The upcoming evaluation includes clinical indicators in maternal and neonatal care, along with experiential qualitative markers measuring improved care and safety.