Child death increase “linked to austerity”

Study finds that a third of infant mortality can be explained by poverty

AN increase in child deaths has been linked to austerity policies.

That’s according to a new study in the British Medical Journal which looked at the impact rising child poverty is having on infant mortality.

The findings showed an “unprecedented” rise in the infant mortality rate since 2014 in England and Wales.

That year, there were 3.6 deaths for every 1,000 live births.

The rate has risen every year since, and now stands at 3.9 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The study found there were 570 extra infant deaths in England over four years (2014–2017) compared with what would normally have been expected.

The picture in Wales is more complicated due to small figures meaning it’s hard to tell whether there has been a significant increase or decrease.

The authors found that about a third of the increase in infant mortality was because of child poverty - and that the rise disproportionately affected the poorest areas of the country.

The more affluent areas remained unaffected.

However, separate ONS figures show that infant mortality rates were also generally higher in the most deprived areas and lower in the least deprived areas.

The study authors suggested that austerity policies have led to rising levels of child poverty - which in turn may be contributing to the rise in mortality among disadvantaged infants.

Austerity policies directly affecting families with children include the abolition of child benefit and child tax credit for the third child or more, reductions in the value of tax credits and below-inflation up-rating of most working-age benefits.

Others include the bedroom tax, universal credit, and the benefit cap.

The study authors wrote: “This rise in mortality in the most disadvantaged children is unprecedented and requires urgent action by national and local governments and the health and social care system.

“It is likely that the rise in child poverty is an important factor contributing to this trend.

“As the United Nations has recently highlighted, rising poverty in the UK is a political choice, and it is time for the government to reverse this trend, establishing a welfare system that protects children from poverty.”

Helen Barnard, deputy director of policy and partnerships at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “There is a rising tide of child poverty across our country.

“It goes against what we stand for as a country that more children are starting their lives in families which are struggling to make ends meet.

“This not only causes long-term harm to a child’s health and development but also seriously restricts their future prospects.

“We cannot stand by while a child born in the wealthiest parts of our country can expect nearly two decades longer of healthy life than a child born in the most deprived parts.”