Report warns of rise in UK infant mortality rate

A child health report has claimed that the number of infant deaths in the UK will rise to twice the rate of other western countries if the current trend continues.

The report stated that the infant mortality rate in England and Wales escalated in 2015 and 2016, and is now 30 per cent higher than the average.

The report used historical data and compared outcomes for children in 2030 in England with other western countries, including France, Spain, Greece, Germany, Italy, Canada and Australia, known as the EU15+.

Professor Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the report’s author, said “This report shows that England currently has poorer health outcomes than the average across the EU15+ in most areas studied, and the rate of improvement for many outcomes is lower than the EU15+.

“This means that unless current trends improve, England is likely to fall further behind countries of similar wealth over the next decade, making it harder to give children the best start in life, receive the care they need and remain healthy into productive, happy adult lives.

“This report clearly identifies the danger on the horizon – but trends shown here are not inevitable. Each of them could be turned around if key actions are undertaken.”

A spokesperson from NHS England responded by saying “This report provides useful context for the NHS Long Term Plan to ensure the best outcomes for children in the future.”

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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