The University of Aberdeen is among nine UK universities selected to make up the new NIHR Challenge Maternity Disparities Consortium with the aim of tackling inequalities in maternity care.
The research carried out by the consortium will focus on inequalities before, during and after pregnancy.
The consortium will also focus on building capacity for further research to help improve services over time. It will help support professionals who plan and deliver services for women and babies across both health and social care.
The £50m funding call was initially announced in March 2024. Nine leading universities have successfully applied to become part of the consortium. Each of them is collaborating with several other organisations around the UK. These include local councils, NHS trusts, charities, industry and other health organisations.
The consortium members span most regions of the UK, ensuring a wide perspective on tackling maternity inequalities. The next step for each consortium member is to build further collaborations before research projects begin in early 2025. Each consortium member is receiving some initial funding to build relationships with charities, the life sciences industry and patient groups with relevant expertise.
Once these relationships have been established, the consortium will decide on research topics. A key aim is to ensure the research can lead to measurable improvements in care before, during and after pregnancy.
The consortium will also have a long-term goal of supporting the next generation of research leaders in maternal healthcare. This will allow ongoing research to improve care for women and babies for years to come.
Dr Andrea Woolner, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the Aberdeen Centre for Women's Health Research at the University of Aberdeen will be group-lead for capacity building in Aberdeen. Dr Woolner said: “We are thrilled to be selected to co-lead a group that promises to bring much needed change and reform to an under-resourced area of healthcare.
“I look forward to building a team of researchers who are equipped to ensure that the women most likely to experience adverse outcomes in pregnancy are heard and helped by future research.”
Professor Marian Knight, Scientific Director for NIHR Infrastructure, said: “We are delighted by the level of engagement shown by researchers with this important research priority. I am confident we have an exceptional consortium to tackle the challenge of maternity inequalities; working in partnership with existing NIHR funded infrastructure and programmes. We look forward to working with the consortium and their collaborators across the UK to develop the final plans for their ground-breaking new research projects over the next few months.”
Dr Mairead Black, Reader at the University of Aberdeen, who led the bid from Aberdeen and will lead the Scotland and Wales contingent said: “We are proud to be joining this flagship consortium to tackle the critical problem of inequalities in maternity care in the UK.
“Our current research has brought home to us how deeply embedded inequalities are in maternity care delivery, not least because women from disadvantaged backgrounds may be less aware of what choices they can make.
“Changing maternity care systems and processes to meet the needs of all who are pregnant and give birth is essential, but research is needed to understand what changes can and do work.
“We look forward to developing our innovative research plans alongside our collaborators in Aberdeen City Council, Cardiff University, and Cardiff & Vale University Health Board.