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Our Research

Improving maternity and neonatal outcomes by tackling health inequalities through research, community partnerships, and evidence-based interventions.

Our Research

Our UK-wide research brings together leading researchers, healthcare professionals, communities and partners to reduce inequalities before, during and after pregnancy. Organised around three interconnected themes, our research focuses on improving outcomes across the life course, from preconception and pregnancy through to birth, postnatal recovery and early childhood, with a particular focus on women, babies and families from underserved and disadvantaged communities.

Working closely with Core20PLUS populations, we are co-designing and testing practical, evidence-based interventions that can be embedded within healthcare services and communities and delivered equitably at scale. Alongside this, we are addressing the underlying factors that drive inequalities, including barriers to access, communication, experience of care, racism and discrimination. Through community partnership, digital innovation, data science and health economic evaluation, our research will generate early evidence on what works, for whom and in which contexts, creating a foundation for national implementation and long-term improvements in maternity and neonatal outcomes across the UK. 

Our Research Themes

  • research-workstream3
    Preconception and interpregnancy health
  • research-workstream2
    Pregnancy, birth and early postnatal maternal health
  • research-workstream1
    Neonatal and longer-term child & family outcomes

Our Core functions & Workstreams

  • Access, communication and experience
    Access, communication and experience
  • Racism, discrimination and intersectionality
    Racism, discrimination and intersectionality
  • Community Engagement and Co-production (CECP)
    Community Engagement and Co-production (CECP)
  • Digital, Economics, Data Linkage and Analytics (DELTA)
    Digital, Economics, Data Linkage and Analytics (DELTA)
NIHR Inequalities Challenge: Maternity Disparities Consortium

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