Scotland has lowest rate for stillbirth and neonatal deaths in UK

Scotland has the lowest rate in the UK for stillbirth and neonatal deaths, according to a new report published today.

The report, led by researchers at Leicester University, found that almost one in every 150 babies born in the UK is stillborn or dies soon after birth.

The research team identified large differences across the UK, however, in the numbers and rates of babies who die, even after taking account of factors that influence the rate of death such as poverty, mother’s age and ethnicity.

The extended perinatal mortality rate – still births and deaths within 28 days of birth – across the UK ranges from 5.4 to 7.1 per 1,000 total births for organisations responsible for commissioning care and similarly for organisations responsible for organising the delivery of care.

In Scotland the rate is 5.43 compared to 6.04 across the whole of the UK.

However, the entire UK performs poorly against Scandinavian nations such as Norway and Sweden.

Professor Elizabeth Draper, Professor of Perinatal and Paediatric Epidemiology at Leicester University, said: “This report confirms that the UK performs poorly compared to other European countries of similar economic status, particularly Sweden and Norway.

“We recommend that NHS organisations across the UK and the relevant Royal Colleges establish national aspirational targets for stillbirth, neonatal deaths and extended perinatal deaths.

“This will enable all services to be assessed against this benchmark in the future in order to work towards achieving similar rates to those of the current best performing countries in Europe.”

She added: “There are differences between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, although there are variations across all these areas.”