Bradford stillbirth and perinatal deaths highest in the region as charity leader calls for inquiry

The stillbirth rate in the West Yorkshire city was 6.3 per 1000 babies, compared with the England average of 3.8 in 2020.

Perinatal deaths - which include both stillbirths and babies who died in their first week of lives - happened in 9.7 births in Bradford compared to the England average of 5.9.

And the infant mortality rate, which includes deaths in children under the age of one, was 5.9 per 1000 children in Bradford, with the England average being 3.9.

Clea Harmer, chief executive of Sands, a charity specialising in baby loss, said the statistics highlight how much needs to be done to understand the causes.

She suggested a confidential enquiry be launched to explore stillbirths and infant deaths in the West Yorkshire city, led by Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and

Confidential Enquiries (MMBRACE), which could particularly look at the causes behind loss in the South Asian population.

She said: “It’s terribly concerning, and even more terribly concerning that no one is really trying to find out why.

“It’s about reaching out directly to the communities affected.

“Bradford would benefit enormously from an independent inquiry from MMBRACE. Inquiries done are shown to have led to reductions in each case of the number of babies dying.

“We know that parents are not always included in reviews. More could be done.”

A 2019 report into infant loss by Bradford City Council’s child death overview panel found a significant link between deaths due genetic and congenital abnormalities that could be caused by “cousin marriage”.

Consanguinity - when two people closely related by blood have a baby - were linked to 30 of 69 deaths reviewed by the panel.

Sands run groups across the region, including in Bradford, to help people come to terms with stillbirth and baby loss.

A spokesperson for Bradford City Council said the figures reflected high levels of poverty which contributes towards why figures have historically been higher than the national average

Sarah Muckle, director of public health for Bradford Council said: "Each baby that is born is special and it is a tragedy every time a new life is lost before their first birthday; not only for their parents but also for society as a whole.

“Our health and care partnership for Bradford District and Craven recognises we must do more to give everyone a better start to life, especially those who are disproportionately affected by inequalities, while building on progress we have made.”

"The Every Baby Matters programme has, for almost two decades, made significant progress by focusing on supporting women and their families support to offer their babies the best start in life.

“This will now support our health and care partnership’s Act As One Better Births programme in collaboration with many partners to develop a healthier population with reduced health inequalities.”

The number of babies and children in England and Wales who died in 2020 reached the lowest level in 40 years, the ONS figures showed.

There were 2,226 deaths of babies and 789 deaths of children aged one to 15 in 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Eleven involved coronavirus as the underlying cause, while two had Covid-19 mentioned on their death certificates, accounting for one per cent of child deaths that year.

Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities remained the leading cause of death among children aged 28 days to 15 years, followed by neoplasms.

The ONS said the 2020 figures are the lowest numbers of infant and child deaths since records began in 1980.

The child mortality rate for the latest year was 7.0 deaths per 100,000 population of the same age.

It has "steadily fallen" from a rate of 33.0 per 100,000 in 1981.

Black babies had the highest neonatal and infant mortality rates.

The neonatal mortality rate for babies from a black Caribbean background was 4.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared with 2.1 per 1,000 for white British babies.

In 2020, the 10 per cent most deprived areas in England had higher infant mortality rates than the 10 per cent least deprived areas.

If you are struggling to come to terms with baby loss, Sands can help.