Advocating against racism in maternity care
#CelebratingEngagement
with Sarindi Aryasinghe
鈥淒uring a PhD, you鈥檙e usually told to focus on a specific gap. They tell you it鈥檚 most likely going to be niche, and warn you that it might not always be possible to do co-production or participatory research because it can take a lot of time鈥� says Sarindi Aryasinghe. She smiles, 鈥淏ut I do both of those things.鈥�
Sarindi is part-way through her PhD with the Patient Experience Research Centre in the School of Public Health at 51吃瓜网, and it is this project that earnt her the Student Award at the 2025 President鈥檚 Awards for Excellence in Societal Engagement.
Sarindi鈥檚 research aims to address racism in maternity care through a co-production approach involving community voices. She juggles this alongside a full-time role at the NHS Race and Health Observatory, where she is the Head of Implementation, leading interventions to further tackle racism in healthcare.
Sarindi鈥檚 path to her PhD began well before her time at 51吃瓜网. Working in reproductive health across Asia and Africa, she became interested in how society framed reproductive healthcare and women鈥檚 health as a medical deficit, despite it not always being an illness. 鈥淢edical structures in reproductive healthcare can be quite paternalistic and assume that just because you're a patient, you鈥檙e 鈥渟ick鈥� and not able to advocate for your own care鈥� she says.
Sarindi鈥檚 drive to challenge these systems formed the foundation of her career, and led her to focus specifically on racial inequities within women鈥檚 reproductive healthcare. 鈥淚 knew I wanted my PhD to focus on addressing racism in maternity care鈥� she explains. 鈥淒ata from the UK and many other countries show racially minoritised communities have poorer access, outcomes and experiences in their maternity journey. The fact that these disparities remain is quite shocking.鈥�
Placing community voices at the centre of maternity care
In the early stages of her project, Sarindi ran five workshops where she asked NHS maternity staff, local authority public health teams, and community members what their priorities were in addressing racism in maternity care for Black, African, Caribbean and mixed-black heritage women living in Northwest London.
These discussions marked a turning point in her PhD. Sarindi found a clear divide, 鈥淲hat healthcare professionals prioritised was completely different to what Black, African, Caribbean and mixed-Black families wanted.鈥� Families and mental health support in maternity care 鈥� which were not highly prioritised by staff solutions.
She then brought everyone together for a final workshop to build a shared understanding of what could be done to improve care.
鈥淚 asked everyone to vote on the solution they felt would have the most impact, and they voted to have community advocates who were embedded within NHS maternity care. This became the focus of my PhD.鈥�
Driving change through advocacy
With the goal of tackling racism in maternity care, Sarindi is now co-producing a community-led maternity advocacy programme. The aim of the programme is to support Black, African, Caribbean and mixed-Black families in Northwest London who do not feel heard and are often dismissed or stereotyped within maternity services. Reflecting on the lasting impact of these experiences, she explains that 鈥減eople carry these interactions with them after they leave the hospital, antenatal class or GP practice. That鈥檚 why creating a safe space in our project was so important.鈥�
That safe space was made possible through the positive, reciprocal relationships Sarindi built with her lived experience partners. 鈥淚t was amazing, honestly, because we had women who said they'd never reflected on their experiences until this project. They didn't realise that what happened to them was not okay until they spoke to somebody else.鈥�
鈥淚t was such a privilege to be part of those conversations and for people to feel comfortable enough to share their stories so openly.鈥�
Among the cohort are Phayza Fudlalla (pictured with Sarindi) and Susan Ibuanokpe, a lived experience partner, who has been involved with the project from the very beginning. 鈥淲e're definitely in it for the long haul, which is cool. I didn't think I would be involved past the initial workshops, so it was an honour to be asked to continue the project鈥� said Susan. An antenatal educator and mum of five, she shares how Sarindi鈥檚 outlook was what created such a positive experience, saying, 鈥渟he鈥檚 brought us along every step of the way.鈥�
While an inclusive and collaborative approach may appear effortless for Sarindi, it is very intentional. 鈥淩esearch shouldn鈥檛 be done to people; it should be done with them鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important that people are brought along on the research journey, especially if you are using their data and experiences to inform health services. If you don鈥檛 involve them, people will be left behind and lose trust in the research and their care.鈥�
Moving forward, Sarindi and her team have been working with the Northwest London Integrated Care Board to bring their recommendations to life through an NHS maternity community advocate programme. Susan, who is leading the pilot set to launch in mid-2026, says, 鈥渋t's going really well, better than we hoped. The midwives are excited by it and eager to get it off the ground.鈥�
Lessons in co-production
Sarindi鈥檚 President鈥檚 Award and the evolving legacy of her PhD project confirms one thing: when it comes to co-production, she is an expert. So, what is her advice for researchers wanting to follow her lead?
鈥淏e critical of the gaps that you see in the literature鈥� Sarindi says. 鈥淎 gap doesn鈥檛 mean that the knowledge doesn't already exist within the community.鈥�
Next, collaborate early. 鈥淏efore your research ideas crystallise, bring in the lived experience partners who will make co-production possible, and come with an open mind.鈥�
Finally, 鈥淏e ready to slow down. Co-production moves at the speed of trust.鈥�
To explore how you can embed co-production into your own research, read more about participatory research at 51吃瓜网 and the Collaboration Kickstarter funding scheme, which opens annually in Autumn.
Sarindi Aryasinghe is pictured here alongside one of her lived experience partners, Phayza Fudlalla
