Too many children are “dying unnecessarily” a government organisation has claimed.
Public Health England (PHE) is an executive agency of the Department of Health. In a newly published report on child mortality rates in London, PHE claims that around a quarter of all child deaths in the year to March were potentially preventable. Death rates in the UK to those in Sweden it states. If this rate in the country matched the Scandinavian nation, then five fewer child would die each day –close to 2,000 per year.
PHE cites 276 “sudden and unexplained” death in the year to March. No less than 65 per cent of these could have been prevented, it claims. In addition, 60 per cent of the 57 deaths from deliberately inflicted injury, child abuse or neglect could reasonably have been prevented. Finally, the report suggests that 16 per cent of deaths from medical causes were potentially preventable.
The report calls for greater action to tackle a number of social factors contributing to child death, including unequal access to health and training to help medical staff better recognise signs of trouble and the symptoms of certain illnesses.
In addition, more must be done it says, to improve communication with families at risk.
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