Department of Health

Website of the Department of Health

Please note that this website has a UK government access keys system.

NHS logo

Infant mortality

  • Last modified date:
    4 March 2008

Reducing the gap in infant mortality in the routine & manual socio economic group and the England average is one of the key measures of the national health inequalities target, and will also contribute to the life expectancy target.

The target is a 10% reduction in the relative gap (i.e. percentage difference) in infant mortality rates between “routine and manual” socio-economic groups and England as a whole from the baseline year of 1998 (the average of 1997-99) to the target year 2010 (the average of 2009-2011).

Infant mortality is a good indicator of the overall health of a society, and while rates are at an all time low, and falling, each avoidable death is one too many and significant inequalities still remain.

Infant mortality rates are falling in all socio-economic groups.  Recent figures show that the mortality gap between routine and manual group (the target group) and the rest of the population has stopped widening.

In 2004-06 the infant mortality rate among the Routine & Manual group was 17% higher than in the total population in 2004-06, compared with 18% higher than in the total population in 2003-05, and 19% higher in 2002-04. This compares with 13% higher in the baseline period of 1997-99. The slight narrowing during the latest period is encouraging; however the target to narrow this gap by at least 10% by 2010 is still a challenging one.

Review of the Infant Mortality Target

A review of the health inequalities infant mortality PSA target was carried out to find out what was happening at local level, identifying key interventions and setting out further action to meet the target. The review report was published on 7th February 2007.

The review made five main recommendations including the need to promote joined-up delivery of services to the target group.  It also showcases some good practice examples.

To help investigate local progress, the review also identified the 43 local authority areas that faced the biggest challenge in reducing infant mortality in the Routine and Manual group. These were the areas with 20 or more infant deaths in R&M group over a three-year period, 2002-04.

Implementation Plan for Reducing Health Inequalities in Infant Mortality

The Implementation Plan for Reducing Health Inequalities in Infant Mortality: A Good Practice Guide was published on 14 December 2007. The plan is about delivering the recommendations and themes of the Health Inequalities Infant Mortality PSA Target Review (February 2007).  Building on the key interventions in the review, it shows how to narrow the health inequalities gap in infant mortality by looking at current examples of good practice. The actions in this plan will contribute to meeting the target, and improving infant and child health for all disadvantaged groups. 

Key documents

Access keys