19.02.13
Pledge to improve child mortality
Mortality rates for children in the UK are amongst the worst in Europe, new research has demonstrated. The Government is to announce a new national pledge to reduce preventable deaths.
Health minister Dr Dan Poulter will say that 1,600 children aged 0-14 could be saved if “drastic improvements” are made within the NHS. There is also significant variation in the quality of care for children, particularly wit long-term conditions such as asthma.
26% of children’s deaths had “identifiable failure in the child’s direct care”, the figures show.
Measures will include increasing data and surveying young people to generate details of local health problems, producing colour-coded health maps to show local health trends and putting young people and families at the heart of decision making about care.
Dr Poulter will say: “For too long, Britain's childhood mortality rates have been amongst the worst in Europe when compared to similar countries.
“I am determined that children and young people should be put at the heart of the new health and social care system. Too often in the past children's health has been an afterthought.
“The pledge that we are making today demonstrates how all parts of the system will play their part and work together to improve children's health. There is already a lot of good work going on but we want the NHS to do even more to improve care for children and young people and reduce the mortality rate.”
Dr Hilary Emery, chief executive of the National Children’s Bureau, said: “Going forward, it is particularly important that health provision is improved for the vulnerable children most at risk of suffering poor health outcomes, such as looked after children, those in custody, or those with disabilities and complex health needs.”
Jo Webber, NHS Confederation interim director of policy, said: “In the current system where finances are tight and the number of organisations responsible for the looking after children’s health is increasing, there is a risk that services could become fragmented and children's care falls between the cracks.
“It is absolutely essential that organisations across health, social care and education maintain their focus on the task at hand and improve the connections between the services they plan and deliver. If we don't get this right, we simply won’t be doing enough to keep our children and young people as safe and healthy as they deserve to be.”
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