Babies Could Be Put At Risk Due To 'Skin Colour Tests'

Babies from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds could be being put at risk because NHS tests are based on white babies, a report suggests. Current health assessments of newborns are decades old and “mainly based on white European babies”, experts said.

- ELLA PICKOVER

Healthcare workers do a wide range of assessments to check the health of babies immediately after they are born. One of the tests, called an Apgar test, is conducted in the first 10 minutes after birth to assess how healthy a baby is.

This test assesses the baby’s heart rate, reflexes, muscle tone, breathing and the baby’s skin colour. To score highly on the test the baby is assessed to see if they are “pink all over”.

The NHS Race and Health Observatory said that the test first developed in 1952, are not fit for purpose for all babies.

A new review for the Observatory, conducted by experts at Sheffield Hallam University, found that most guidance for healthcare workers do not differentiate between babies from different backgrounds.

“This means some minority ethnic babies are not being assessed effectively,” the report states.