We are proud to announce the official launch of the Maternity in Colour Project on 15th January 2026. This important new project has been developed through a collaboration between the University of Salford and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, with a shared commitment to improving maternity care for women, birthing people, and families from diverse backgrounds.
The Maternity in Colour Project was created in response to a simple but significant problem: many medical and midwifery textbooks, training materials, and health information resources mostly show images of lighter skin tones. This means that signs of common pregnancy, birth, postnatal, and newborn conditions can be harder to recognise on darker skin. For some families, this can lead to delays in reassurance, diagnosis, or treatment.
This project aims to change that.
By collecting professional clinical photographs of common maternity and neonatal conditions in Black, Brown, and other ethnically diverse skin tones, the Maternity in Colour Project will create a freely available digital handbook for use in education and training. The resource will be used by midwives, doctors, nurses, students, educators and women/birthing people and their families to help them better understand how conditions can look on different skin tones and to support safer, more responsive care.
All images included in the project are taken sensitively and professionally by NHS clinical photography teams, with clear informed consent from participants. Protecting dignity, privacy, and confidentiality is central to the project. No identifiable personal information is shared, and taking part is always voluntary.
By improving how healthcare professionals are trained, the project also supports women and birthing people to feel more seen, understood, and represented within maternity services. The long-term aim is to contribute to better experiences, increased confidence in care, and improved outcomes for families from ethnically diverse communities.
The launch on 15th January 2026 marks an exciting step forward. As the project grows, we look forward to sharing more about the resource, how it will be used, and how it can support safer and more inclusive maternity care for everyone.