Maternity Deaths at 15-Year High, With Majority Deemed Avoidable
New reviews reveal that six in ten maternal deaths between 2022 and 2024 could have been prevented with improved care, a stark increase since records began.
Record numbers of mothers are dying avoidably in maternity care, with preventable deaths reaching a 15-year high. Data indicates that six out of ten women who died during pregnancy, childbirth, or the postnatal period between 2022 and 2024 could have been saved with better care, marking an all-time high since records commenced in 2009. This rise occurs despite a decade of ministerial pledges to enhance maternity safety.
Bereaved families have described the increase 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. Of the 252 pregnant women or new mothers who died between 2022 and 2024, 178 were included in an in-depth review by the MBRRACE-UK research program at the University of Oxford. Their analysis revealed that 108 of these women might still be alive if they had received appropriate care.
While maternal deaths remain infrequent, the rate of women dying from treatable complications, such as blood clots, is now 57 percent higher than in 2010. This trend contrasts with a government commitment to halve maternal deaths compared to 2010 levels. Allison Felker, maternal program lead for MBRRACE-UK, stated that many deaths could be prevented if conditions were properly recognized and managed. She added that mistakes sometimes occur due to staff being overstretched, but often staff are working exceptionally hard with insufficient system capacity.
In 2015, Jeremy Hunt pledged to reduce the maternal death rate to 5.32 per 100,000 births by 2030. However, the overall rate, which includes indirect causes, has climbed to 12.80 per 100,000, more than double the target. The rate of direct deaths has surged to 5.94, triple the target of 1.89. The proportion of preventable deaths, which stood at 61 percent between 2022 and 2024, has risen from 52 percent in 2019-2021 and 41 percent 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 the issue a personal priority.