Dad's Downing St plea: End baby loss racial gap

A bereaved father from Nottinghamshire has traveled to Downing Street to advocate for new targets aimed at reducing racial inequalities in baby loss. Recent data from the Office for National Statistics revealed that in 2024, infant mortality rates in England and Wales were 3.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, but this figure increased to 5 for babies of Asian ethnicity and 6.8 for babies of Black ethnicity.

Raj Chagger, whose seven-month-old son Riaan died in November 2020, presented an open letter signed by over 3,300 people at 10 Downing Street. He emphasized that awareness must translate into action and change, stating that the disparity in infant mortality statistics alone should prompt significant change. Baby loss charities Sands and Tommy's are calling for national maternity targets to be established by 2035, aligning with the NHS England 10-Year Plan.

These charities propose goals to actively tackle inequalities in pregnancy and baby loss. Research indicates that Black babies are twice as likely to be stillborn or die as newborns compared to white babies. Sands estimates that 1,616 lives could have been saved between 2019 and 2023 if death rates for Black and Asian babies had matched those of white babies. The Department for Health acknowledged that it is unacceptable for Black and Asian women to face worse outcomes in maternity care and stated that urgent action is being taken.