Respectful maternity care in the UK using a decolonial lens

Area of Science:

• Maternal Health
• Healthcare Equity
• Decolonial Studies

Background:

• Respectful maternity care (RMC) globally addresses human rights in maternal healthcare.
• The decolonisation movement challenges Eurocentric, biased healthcare systems.
• Previous research on decolonising UK maternity care is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply a decolonial lens to the RMC agenda in UK healthcare.
• To examine barriers to implementing respectful and equitable maternity care.
• To identify key areas for decolonising maternity services.

Main Methods:

• Literature search of peer-reviewed journals on decolonising maternity care in the UK.
• Analysis of wider information bases on colonial biases in maternity care.
• Examination of power imbalances and institutional structures.

Main Results:

• Identified three key areas: professional structures and institutional biases, staff and stakeholder power imbalances, and person-centred care through a decolonial lens.
• Highlighted the lingering impact of historical colonial biases in contemporary maternity care.
• Found limited specific research on decolonising UK maternity care.

Conclusions:

• Decolonising maternity care is essential for uprooting inequity and fostering fairer, respectful environments.
• Contemporary maternity institutions must understand the decolonial perspective.
• Decolonisation efforts must be tailored to specific historical and territorial contexts.