A new five-year strategy to address and reduce the risk of infant mortality in the Walsall borough will be considered for approval by the Health and Wellbeing Board when it meets on Thursday 20 March 2025.
The Walsall Infant Mortality Prevention and Reduction Strategy 2025-2030 aims to reduce infant mortality in Walsall to below the national average by 2030 and recognise and highlight the importance of a multi-agency approach to prevent infant mortality through collaborative working. It also aims to ensure people of childbearing age and expectant parents have access to information, services and help at the right time to enable them to make informed and positive decisions in the choices they make.
Infant mortality is the death of a child aged under 1 years old (excluding still births). Nationally, there has been an overall decline in the infant mortality rate since 1980. However, the national decline has stalled over the last decade and increased in 2022. The infant mortality rate in Walsall is currently 5.3 per 1,000 live births, compared to the England average of 4.1 per 1000 live births.
The strategy recognises previous work undertaken to reduce infant mortality within Walsall including:
Developing a multi-agency perinatal mental health pathway to enable all service providers to identify and support parents during pregnancy and post birth.
Specialist intervention for women and their families through Be Well Walsall and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s Smoking in Pregnancy service, supporting approximately 1,200 women to stop smoking since 2017.
Raising awareness among pregnant women and their families through the Trust’s Health in Pregnancy service about safe sleep, foetal movement, stop smoking, infant feeding, healthy eating and emotional wellbeing.
Opening of four Family Hubs with ten spoke sites in local communities across Walsall, offering a community venue for midwives and health visitors to offer support on infant feeding, parenting, child development and a space for families to talk.
The new strategy will focus on a number of actions including focusing on the wider family, enhanced support for those at higher risk, involving parents in designing and reviewing services, improving early access and uptake of antenatal care within Walsall and sharing best practices from partner organisations.
“ Reducing infant mortality in Walsall is and continues to be an important issue for us and we are proud of the work we have done to reduce and prevent infant mortality over the last 15 years.
It is important we have stable, safe housing, strong community networks and better economic conditions to improve the health and wellbeing of parents and infants. This can only be achieved with the involvement and collaboration of organisations across the borough.
Our ambition for this strategy is to reduce the infant mortality rate to below the national average. This is in line with the We are Walsall 2040 ambitions for our borough to be thriving and happy, and healthy and well. We want Walsall to be an area where people can grow, live and prosper. “
Councillor Gary Flint, Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing
Walsall Council