18th May 2016
Research published shows the wide regional variation in the incidence of stillbirth and neonatal deaths in the UK.
The report – part of the Maternal, Newborn and Infant outcome review programme and carried out by MBRRACE-UK – focuses on stillbirth and neonatal death rates among babies born at 24 weeks of gestation or more.
The study found that in 2014 there was a slight fall in both the stillbirth and neonatal death rates – 4.16 and 1.77 per 1,000 total births compared to 4.2 and 1.84 in 2013 – although this pattern was not uniform across the UK.
However, behind these headline figures significant regional variations remain, not solely explained by factors that often influence mortality rates, such as poverty, mother’s age, multiple birth and ethnicity.
