Documents and data relating to DHSS letters in 1978 to health authorities about high infant and perinatal mortality rates

Department of Health and Social Care did not have the information requested.

Dear Department of Health,

The following is on page 11 of the 1982 report cited:

“In 1978 the Department of Health and Social Security contacted health authorities whose infant and perinatal mortality rate were worse than the national average, and asked them what they were doing to combat the problem. In its letter the DHSS recognised that:

“…..variations in infant and perinatal death rates are in no sense a true measure of an area’s health services and may also reflect a whole range of wider social and environmental factors.””

(Bradshaw, J., Edwards, H., Lawton, D., Staden, F. and Weale, J. (1982) Area variation in infant mortality 1975-7, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 36, 1, 11-16.)

I should be grateful if you’d supply the following:

1. A list of all locations with infant and perinatal mortality rates worse than the national average, together with the rates of both and also the year(s) for which the data is applicable.

2. A list of all locations with infant and perinatal mortality rates either the same or lower than the national average, together with the rates of both and also the year(s) for which the data is applicable.

3. A copy of any response by a health authority which suggested that environmental factors might be responsible for higher rates of infant or perinatal mortality.

4. A list of the health authorities written to by DHSS in 1978.

5. A copy of a typical DHSS letter to a health authority on the above subject.

Yours faithfully,

Michael Ryan

Department of Health and Social Care

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Department of Health and Social Care

1 Attachment

Our ref: DE00000891494 
 
Dear Mr Ryan, 
 

Please find the Department of Health's response to your recent Freedom of
Information request attached.

Yours sincerely,
 
Jonathan Young
Freedom of Information Officer
Department of Health

 

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