New Bliss report shows double disadvantage for babies from minoritised ethnic or deprived backgrounds

Bliss, the UK’s leading charity for babies born premature or sick, has launched a new report, ‘Equity for Every Baby: Tackling inequalities in neonatal care linked to ethnicity and socioeconomic deprivation’, which reveals that inequity related to ethnicity and socioeconomic deprivation is present throughout the whole of a baby’s neonatal journey. 

Babies from minority ethnic or deprived backgrounds have a higher risk of needing neonatal care in the first place, of poorer clinical care and lower rates of family involvement on the neonatal unit, and of worse longer-term outcomes as they grow up.  

Critically, this new report brings together new and existing evidence to paint a devastating picture of how minoritised ethnicity and social deprivation contribute to a double-disadvantage: babies are more likely to be admitted to neonatal care and more likely to have worse outcomes – including a higher risk of death – because of their demographics and circumstances. 

Key findings show:

Higher mortality rates:

• Babies born to Black mothers have the highest mortality rate, with an 81% higher risk of death on the neonatal unit than those born to white mothers (1)
• Babies born to mothers in the most deprived areas had a 63% higher risk of dying before discharge from the unit, compared with babies born to mothers from the least deprived areas (2)
• Even when adjusted to account for pre-existing risk factors, there are still inequalities in the rates of babies who die in neonatal units which cannot be explained (3)

Higher rates of premature birth: 

• Mothers in the most deprived areas have a premature birth rate of 8.8 per 100 births compared to 6.8 per 100 births in the least deprived areas (4)
• Black women have a premature birth rate of 8.6 per 100 births compared to 7.8 per 100 among white women (5). Babies born to Black women have consistently had the highest rates of premature birth since 2007, when data collection began (6) 

Higher rates of neonatal admission:

• With 15.1% of babies born to mothers living in the most deprived areas admitted to a neonatal unit, compared to 6.5% from the least deprived areas (7) 

Lower rates of parent partnership:

• Which is proven to be best for babies and families, with the lowest rates among parents from minority ethnic and socioeconomically deprived backgrounds:
  • Only 37% of white parents from the most deprived groups are included in ward rounds, compared to 48% of white parents from the least deprived groups  
  • By contrast, only 27% of Asian parents from the most deprived groups are included in ward rounds, compared to 36% of Asian parents from the least deprived groups (8)
  • One mum shared in Bliss’ engagement work how she felt her background influenced how she was treated on the neonatal unit: ‘’...You always feel like a little bit, maybe if we were more like posher people and had like our parents around, we might have been treated a bit differently maybe.’’
  • Another mum shared how she felt under scrutiny: ‘’...You felt like you were on a test. It was a test. You had to do well, and your baby had to do well to be able to go home. And that’s how it felt for me. Rather than ‘oh, they’re helping look after us.’ It was more like, we need to pass the test or they won’t let us out...in my mind I felt like I was being watched...judged.’’ 

Caroline Lee Davey, Chief Executive of Bliss, said: “The findings of the ‘Equity For Every Baby’ report show that babies from minoritised ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomically deprived families continue to face unacceptable and avoidable barriers to equitable care.  

“The report highlights a stark double disadvantage that negatively impacts the health outcomes and experiences of far too many babies who need care in a neonatal unit, and their families. We owe it to every baby and every family to urgently address these inequalities. 

“There is a real focus on maternity services at the moment, with significant improvements to care needed, but this new report, in the wake of this week’s publication of the Amos Report which had a disappointing lack of focus on neonatal care, shows we must also pay equal attention to neonatal care. The care that babies receive in their first days and weeks of life, and the support their parents receive on the neonatal unit, can shape their long-term outcomes, so it is vital that Governments and health services urgently focus on the improvements needed in neonatal care.” 

The report finds that some families are less able to provide hands-on care to their baby because of inadequate support from the neonatal unit. Frequently poor access to highquality interpretation and translation, and highly variable access to financial and practical support, means that some parents either aren’t able to be on the unit as much as they want to be, or aren’t given the same parent education as other parents on the unit to support hands-on care, despite this being linked to improved short- and longterm outcomes when a baby is born premature or sick. 

Bliss has also found a range of factors - including language barriers, communication issues and racism - can affect relationship-building between healthcare professionals and parents, which is crucial for enabling parents to take the lead in caring for their baby. 

The report launched at an event in Parliament hosted by Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP. The event, delivered in partnership with NIHR BioResource will bring together MPs, healthcare professionals, researchers, and families to discuss the ongoing inequalities within neonatal care across the UK. 

Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP said: “It is a privilege to host an event with Bliss once again. The ‘Equity for Every Baby’ report makes clear that inequalities in neonatal care are not inevitable, but the result of choices we can and must address. Every baby deserves an equal chance at a healthy start in life, and every family deserves to be supported, heard and involved in their baby’s care. I am proud to stand with Bliss and with families calling for the accountability and action needed to deliver truly equitable neonatal care.” 

Professor Nathalie Kingston, NIHR BioResource Director, added: “We are proud to work with Bliss in bringing together policymakers, researchers, clinicians and families to focus on tackling inequalities in neonatal care. At NIHR BioResource, we believe that diverse and inclusive research is fundamental to understanding health inequalities and driving meaningful change. Events like this are vital for fostering collaboration and ensuring that every baby, regardless of their background, has an equal chance to thrive.” 

Caroline Lee-Davey added: “Our recommendations set out a clear path to delivering equitable neonatal care, and we’re pleased to have the opportunity at this event to bring together policymakers, sector leaders and families with lived experience to begin the work of turning our findings into lasting change.” 

References

1.Saberian S, et al (2025) Inequalities in neonatal unit mortality in England and Wales between 2012 and 2022 

2.Saberian S, et al (2025) Inequalities in neonatal unit mortality in England and Wales between 2012 and 2022 

3.Saberian S, et al (2025) Inequalities in neonatal unit mortality in England and Wales between 2012 and 2022  

4.Kayode G, et al (2024) Socioeconomic and ethnic disparities in preterm births in an English maternity setting 

5.Kayode G, et al (2024) Socioeconomic and ethnic disparities in preterm births in an English maternity setting 

6.Office of National Statistics (2023) Birth Characteristics in England and Wales: 2021

 7.Saberian S, et al (2025) Inequalities in neonatal unit mortality in England and Wales between 2012 and 2022 

8. Pettinger K et al, (2025) Does neonatal care delivery in England and Wales vary by deprivation and ethnicity