Third of services rated ‘red’ for baby deaths

The proportion of trusts with maternity services “red rated” for neonatal mortality rose from around a quarter in 2021 to a third in 2022, according to the latest national audit.

The latest Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk Through Audit and Confidential Enquiries report, published on Friday, classifies trusts from red to green, according to how far above or below they are their peer group providers.

Nationally, there were increases in the neonatal mortality rate per 1,000 live births in 2022 compared with 2021, rising from 1.65 to 1.69 per 1,000 total births. Neonatal death is when a baby dies in the first 28 days of life.

Of 121 trusts, 41 (34%) were rated “red” for neonatal mortality in 2022, as their rates were over 5% higher than their peer group average. This compares with 32 trusts (26% of 123 trusts) rated “red” for neonatal mortality in 2021.

There were, however, also some areas of improvement year-on-year. The number of trusts rated “green” — with neonatal death rates more than 15% lower than the average in their peer group — increased from three in 2021 to eight in 2022, marking a significant improvement from 2020 and 2021.

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Source: HSJ, 17 July 2024