Field Value Title Barnsley In Depth Children & Young People's ...

Barnsley in Depth Children’s and Young People’s Report – 2008/09 Information3.4 Infant Mortality (deaths under one year of age)Infant mortality is a key national and international measure of infant health.One of the key national targets for improving health and reducing healthinequalities relates to infant mortality. The national target is:Starting with children under one year, by 2010 to reduce the gap inmortality by at least 10% between ‘routine and manual’ groups andthe population as a whole.The national target is problematic at a borough level for two reasons:-• Due to the small number of infant deaths, it is difficult to interpretvariation in rates at a local level. Changes in trend rates may be due tochance rather than reflecting any real difference in rates.The target requires a reduction in the gap between social class bandings, which arenot routinely recorded.Figure 3.4.1 illustrates that Barnsley is experiencing slightly below the nationalaverage mortality and the regional average. In Barnsley for the 3 year period2006-08 there were 32 infant deaths (a drop of 4 from the 3 year period 2005-07). Although numbers are small, there is still potential scope to reduceinfant mortality rates further as a nation. Other countries such as Austria,Iceland and those in Scandinavia have rates of 3-4 deaths per 1,000 livebirths.Figure 3.4.1 Infant Mortality Rates 2006-08 (under one year of age)Source: Compendium of Clinical and Health Indicators7.06.05.0Rate per 1,000 live births4.03.02.01.00.0England Yorkshire and Humber Barnsley- 23 -