Maternal Deaths Reach 15-Year High, With Most Avoidable

A growing number of mothers are dying during maternity care, with preventable deaths reaching a 15-year high, according to recent reviews. Between 2022 and 2024, approximately six in 10 mothers who died during pregnancy, childbirth, or in the postnatal period could have been saved with improved care. This marks an all-time high since records began in 2009, occurring despite a decade of ministerial promises to enhance maternity safety.

Bereaved families have described the rise as "disgraceful," while medical professionals, including doctors and midwives, have warned that under-resourced and understaffed maternity services are struggling to consistently provide safe care.

Data from the research program MBRRACE-UK at the University of Oxford analyzed 252 cases of pregnant women or new mothers who died between 2022 and 2024. Of these, 178 were included in the in-depth review, which found that 108 of these women might have survived with the right care. While maternal deaths are statistically rare, the rate of deaths due to treatable complications, such as blood clots, has increased by 57% compared to 2010 levels. This is occurring even though the government had pledged to halve maternal deaths from the 2010 benchmark.

Allison Felker, maternal program lead for MBRRACE-UK, stated that many of these deaths could be prevented if conditions were properly recognized and managed. She added that mistakes sometimes occur due to staff being overstretched, but often it is a systemic issue of insufficient capacity, even when staff are working diligently.

In 2015, Jeremy Hunt committed to reducing the maternal death rate to 5.32 per 100,000 births by 2030. However, the overall rate, including indirect causes, has climbed to 12.80 per 100,000, more than double the target. The rate of direct deaths has also risen to 5.94, which is three times higher than the target of 1.89. The percentage of preventable deaths rose to 61% between 2022 and 2024, up from 52% in 2019-2021 and 41% in 2013-2015.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health acknowledged that "too many women have not received the maternity care they deserve" and stated that the Health Secretary has made this issue a personal priority.