OVERWHELMING evidence shows black midwives and maternity support workers experience “significantly higher” levels of racial discrimination, the TUC Black Workers conference heard on Friday.

“And yet despite years of campaigning, policies, and promises, their lived reality has not improved,” Fazana Munir of the Royal College of Midwives said on the last day of the event.

Ms Munir opened discussions on the need for action to ensure that “meaningful and practical changes promote inclusive workplaces for everyone.”

She told delegates that while the NHS was “more diverse than ever,” diversity “without inclusion is not progress, it is a facade.”

“The current national maternity investigation report tells us that services are at breaking point,” Ms Munir said.

“Public confidence is at an all-time low, and within that crisis, bullying and racist behaviour persist.

“Let us be absolutely clear, this is not mainly a workforce issue. This is a patient safety and public health issue.

“Because when staff aren’t supported, unheard, and unsafe, their ability to provide compassionate care is compromised.”

Kim Bryan, of the Royal College of Podiatry, warned that current mandatory NHS training on racism “is not fit for purpose in today’s multicultural society.”

“We are calling for more than a tick-box exercise: dignity and respect for ourselves, our families, our friends, and our brethren within the workplace,” she said.

The conference also heard emotional testimony of delegates’ lived experiences during labour or their pregnancies, with motions being passed on addressing racial injustice in maternity care.

Black women in Britain are three to four times more likely to die during pregnancy or up to six weeks after birth compared with white women, while Asian women face nearly double the risk.