Action plan to tackle Wolverhampton's baby deaths crisis

It was revealed in March last year that Wolverhampton has the highest rate of infant deaths in the country, at 7.7 per 1,000 births, putting the city well above the national average of 4.3 per 1,000 births.

Plans in the pipeline to tackle the issue over the next three years starting with strengthening local understanding of the causes of infant mortality.

This would see The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Public Health committee, Child Death Overview Panel and Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning group sharing data in an attempt to help identify and review what has caused previous deaths.

Heavy emphasis will also be placed on encouraging expectant mothers to quit smoking.

Carbon monoxide monitoring would be offered to pregnant women on their visits to the hospital, alongside efforts to make their trips 'smoke free' through making hospitals smoke free sites.

Stopping pregnant women smoking at home will also be looked into, through assessment of the family environment and contact from a midwife after discharge.

Maternal and infant nutrition is another element that health bosses believe to be key if the rate of infant mortality is to be reduced.

To improve nutrition during pregnancy, mothers will be given information on how to eat health on a budget and be universally offered healthy start vitamins.

Free swimming lessons may also be offered to all pregnant women, along with weight management programmes being given to those with a BMI over 30 during and after pregnancy.

To increase the new born baby's nutrition, the council will also promote exclusive breast feeding for the first six months of a child life as part of its ongoing obesity call to action.

The Back to Sleep campaign, which encourages parents to make have children sleep on their back, will also be pushed.

The campaign, originally called the Safe to Sleep campaign, was initially launched in the US in 1994 and has contributed to a decrease of over 50 per cent in sudden infant deaths between 1988 and 2006.

Taking steps to ensure vulnerable people are appropriately supported before and after pregnancy is something bosses will also look into.

They will consider offering gender specific sexual health education for teenage girls to prevent unwanted pregnancies as well as ensuring all mothers under 19 are supported to make 'health choices' by referring them to a variety of support programmes.

The council action plan also states that infant mortality is a major contributor to the difference in life expectancy between Wolverhampton and the national average, accounting for the greatest number of years of life lost and that reducing infant mortality would also have an impact on overall life expectancy for residents.