Five key areas need to be tackled to cut the high numbers of babies dying in their first year in the Bradford district, say health officials.

The Every Baby Matters strategy and action plan details how organisations, including NHS Bradford and Airedale, Bradford Council and other partner organisations can work together to improve the health and wellbeing of babies in the district and give them a better start in life.

The plan, launched by the Bradford District Partnership, draws together a number of local programmes and outlines all the activities which will help reduce infant mortality.

It builds on the ten recommendations of the Bradford District Infant Mortality Commission (IMC) and focuses on making changes in five key areas which will lead to improvements in babies’ health. They are:

  • child poverty – including unemployment, education and housing
  • nutrition and breastfeeding
  • early access to pre-conception, maternity and infant care and prevention, and early intervention for at-risk families
  • smoking, alcohol and substance misuse
  • genetic inheritance awareness.

Dr Shirley Brierley, public health consultant at NHS Bradford and Airedale, said: “The death of a baby is still a rare event but every death represents a tragedy for the family involved.

“A lot of ground has already been covered, but more needs to be done and the action plan sets out what we aim to do over the next few years.

“The initiatives we have already introduced have given us a solid base to build upon. We know the key factors that increase the risk of infant mortality, and we know that there are some areas and some groups of people who are more affected.

“Reducing infant mortality is everyone’s business: from parents to major organisations. With so many partner organisations committed to working together to make real changes we can use our combined knowledge to improve awareness and understanding of the causes of infant mortality.

“No single thing will deal with infant mortality simply or effectively. The action plan will be kept under constant review so it can be added to and extended to keep us moving forward.”