A new report, Child Mortality and Social Deprivation that investigated the link between child mortality and social deprivation has been published by the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD). The study finds a clear association between the risk of child death and their level of deprivation (for all categories of death except cancer). More specifically, it states that over a fifth of all child deaths might be avoided if children living in the most deprived areas had the same mortality risk as those living in the least deprived – which translates to over 700 fewer children dying per year in England.  

Importantly, the report also contains case studies of initiatives that focus on poverty - with the aim of reducing the number of child deaths where deprivation appears to be a factor going forward. These exemplar projects highlight the value of using local learning, and provide practical inspiration for the kinds of interventions that could be implemented across the country. 

Professor Karen Luyt, Programme Lead / Consultant and Professor of Neonatal Medicine, University of Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust shared some key findings from this report at our recent BPI Conference, and a video recording is available to view here.

The full report is available here: NCMD report: Child Mortality and Social Deprivation

More about NCMD: The National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) is an NHS funded programme, delivered by the University of Bristol, that gathers information on all children who die in England, as part of the Child Death Review (CDR) process. For more information, go to: www.ncmd.info.