Too many women living with more than one long-term health condition are falling through the gaps between different parts of the health system during pregnancy, when they most need coordinated support. This research will bring together expertise from across maternity and specialist care to build a care bundle that gives women and health professionals clear, consistent guidance – before, during and after birth.
Professor Jane Sandall, Professor of Social Science and Women's Health at King’s College London and co-investigator on the project
28 August 2026
Study aims to transform maternity care for women with multiple long-term health conditions
Researchers at King’s College London are contributing to a major new study aiming to improve maternity care for pregnant women living with multiple long-term health conditions.
The three-year project, led by the University of Aberdeen and Birmingham City University, brings together experts from across academia and the NHS, including King’s College London, the University of Birmingham, Manchester University, Barts Health NHS Trust, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NHS Foundation Trust, and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
The research is supported by a £1.3 million award from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with £70,000 of the funding coming to King’s.
Recent figures show that over 80 women die each year in the UK due to complications arising from their pregnancy and more than one in six pregnant women are also living with multiple long term health conditions – such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and mental health disorders. These conditions are becoming increasingly common and are considered an important contributor to poor maternal outcomes.
Despite this, there are currently no defined care requirements for pregnant women living with more than one long-term health condition.
Living with multiple long-term health conditions can make pregnancy and childbirth considerably more challenging. Women may experience changes to medication, disjointed care from multiple teams, conflicting advice between healthcare professionals, and a lack of appropriate follow-up for their health conditions after birth.
Pregnant women with multiple long-term health conditions are at twice the risk of pre-term birth and are nine times more likely to die during pregnancy than those without these health complications.
The research team aim to address these challenges by developing a ‘care bundle’ – a package of evidence-led care designed to guide safe maternity care for women living with multiple long-term health conditions throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.
At King’s, Professors Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar and Jane Sandall will be co-investigators on the project, contributing expertise in implementation research and continuity of maternity models of care. Zoe Vowles, an NIHR-funded midwife PhD student, will also contribute expertise from her research into the contribution of midwifery to care for women with multiple long-term health conditions.
The award builds on work from MuM-PReDiCT - a UK-wide research consortium established with the aim of improving care for pregnant women with multiple long-term health conditions.
Our MRC-funded MuM-PreDiCT programme worked directly with women living with multiple long-term conditions and with maternity clinicians to identify the elements of care that matter most in pregnancy. This award takes those elements and builds them into a care bundle that can be tested and delivered in the NHS.
Professor Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar, Clinical Professor of Public Health and Health Data Science at King’s College London and co-investigator on the project
Women with two or more health conditions in pregnancy do not always receive the care, information and support they need. Our previous research in the MuM-PreDiCT programme identified aspects of care to improve experiences and outcomes for women with multiple long-term health conditions. This award gives the opportunity to build on that research to develop and test a care bundle to guide and improve maternity care for women living with multiple health conditions throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.
Zoe Vowles, PhD student at King’s College London funded through an NIHR Doctoral Clinical Academic Fellowship at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and co-investigator on the project
Over three years, the team, led by Dr Mairead Black, Clinical Reader in Obstetrics at the University of Aberdeen and Honorary Consultant Obstetrician at NHS Grampian, will address the challenges these women face and create a package of care that will reduce the risks they encounter in pregnancy.
The care bundle will include guidance on areas such as medication management, communication between healthcare teams, midwifery care and postnatal handovers. The researchers will also work with people with lived experience of maternity care to help shape and test the care bundle.
The researchers hope the project will provide an evidence-led care bundle specifically designed for women living with multiple long-term health conditions and, for the first time, provide clear guidance to support their complex needs throughout pregnancy and beyond.
In this story
Professor of Social Science and Women's Health
Clinical Professor of Public Health and Health Data Science
PhD Student