Coronation Street announces racial injustice in maternity care story for Dee-Dee Bailey

Not long later, Dee-Dee's waters break, and when she returns to the maternity unit, a series of delays ensue which results in her undergoing an emergency delivery.

Dee-Dee suffers a huge haemorrhage and has to undergo life-changing surgery, and as she recovers, Dee-Dee begins to wonder if these medical issues were avoidable, and whether the mistakes made were linked to her ethnicity.

In the aftermath of this traumatic experience, solicitor Dee-Dee enlists the help of friend and budding legal whizz Alya Nazir (Sair Khan) as she considers making an official complaint of gross negligence against the hospital.

Coronation Street is working with three organisations on Dee-Dee's story. Birthrights is a charity set up to protect human rights during pregnancy and childbirth.

In 2021/2022, Birthrights carried out a year-long inquiry into racial injustice in maternity care to understand more about the experiences that sit behind the statistics.

The study found that Black women are three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women.

Birthrights has also heard from women whose worries were dismissed, including one mother who almost died of sepsis after healthcare professionals dismissed her concerns and symptoms due to the colour of her skin.

Motivational Mums Club empowers mothers and birthing people to make informed choices and advocate for themselves, while FivexMore is the UK’s leading women’s health organisation, focusing on Black maternal health.

Speaking about Dee-Dee's harrowing ordeal for the first time, actress Sterling-Brown said: "We've worked with some brilliant organisations and charities who were really great at advising on this story.

"I got to speak to a woman who had a real lived experience of this, and her story is not dissimilar to what happens to Dee Dee. It was emotional to hear her story and just finding the truth in that as well. Many of the conversations have been really hard but really helpful to hear what some women went through.

"The story we're trying to tell is one of truth. I don’t think there is any malice in any of Dee Dee's treatment. But it is a case of her being on an overstretched and understaffed ward. She's not being fully heard because of assumptions that are potentially being made. I also think she maybe is a little bit in denial, because I don’t think she’s probably quite ready to have the baby."

Sharing how her alter ego's circumstances progress into a dangerous situation, Sterling-Brown explained: "It just ends up in a bit of an amalgamation of her pain being dismissed, and suddenly finding herself in a severe situation and she is really scared.

"Basically, everything is all systems go in terms of getting the baby out as quickly and safely as possible. But it's really frightening how quickly that develops, and how, if someone had intervened a bit sooner and picked up on those symptoms a bit sooner, it might have meant that such drastic measures wouldn’t have needed to be taken."

On the ITV soap's storyline, Janaki Mahadevan and Shanthi Gunesekera, co-CEOs of Birthrights, said: "It’s extremely important that a show like Coronation Street is highlighting the experiences of Black women in maternity care.

"The data has long shown how Black women are more likely to suffer physical and psychological harm through pregnancy and birth.

"Our Race Inquiry documented some of the experiences behind these statistics including consistent failure to identify medical conditions due to skin colour, racial stereotyping and breaches of consent.

"This is a crisis that has gone on far too long, and we hope that by bringing this to the wider public attention we can increase the movement for change.

"We are pleased that Coronation Street is taking this issue to its audience and showing the personal impact of experiences which sadly affect far too many Black women and birthing people.

"We know that individuals, families and communities have been left with a lifetime of trauma as a result of experiences like Dee-Dee’s.

"There has never been a more critical time to face up to the realities of systemic racism and take collective action to dismantle it.

"That is why we’re calling on the Government to introduce a new SAFE Maternity Care Act to make crystal clear how human rights law applies to all those who manage, deliver and regulate maternity care and ensure Safety, Accountability, Freedom of Choice and Equity are at the core of the maternity system."

Christina Brown, founder, CEO and health equity expert of The Motivational Mums Club, added: "As we move forward, it’s crucial that we maintain momentum in addressing the disparities that Black mothers face during labour and after birth. Black mothers are almost three times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth.

"There are the Black mothers who sadly, unfortunately have died and lost their lives. But there are the mothers who almost did.

"The psychological trauma of going through that, the psychological trauma of their families going through that is something that needs more awareness and addressing, which has also played a factor into Black mums being 13 per cent more likely to develop a mental health difficulty during the perinatal period but also less likely to get access to help as well.

"There's some breakdown somewhere, and it’s all of our responsibility to ensure we as a collective push for better care for all, making services equitable. Which is what I do at the Motivational Mums Club by providing training to healthcare professionals and providing safe spaces for Black mothers to reach out for help.

"Thank you to Coronation Street for working with The Motivational Mums Club on Dee-Dee’s storyline."

FiveXMore founders Clotilde and Tinuke commended Coronation Street for shedding light on a critical issue affecting Black mothers.

"We are truly pleased that Coronation Street is addressing such an important subject. Black women in the UK are three times more likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth, or the six weeks postpartum compared to their white counterparts (MBRRACE 2024). This stark disparity demands continuous urgent attention.

"Our Black Maternity Experiences Report has shown that the root of these inequalities lies in healthcare professionals’ attitudes, knowledge, and assumptions.

"The challenges faced by Dee-Dee in Coronation Street reflect the real-life experiences of many Black women, making this storyline all the more significant.

"We acknowledge that the NHS is under immense pressure, and we welcome recent announcements regarding improvements in maternity care. However, systemic change is essential to ensure that Black women receive the safe, respectful, and equitable care they deserve.

"We call on the Government to continue making Black maternal health a priority and urge everyone to take part in our current Black Maternity Experience Survey to help drive meaningful change."

For help and support on Dee-Dee's story, you can visit Birthrights, Motivational Mums Club and FivexMore.

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