Issue - meetings

The Board is asked to receive the Greater Manchester Child Death Overview Panels Annual Report for 2019/20 and consider the recommendations therein.

The Board received the 2019/20 Annual Report of the Greater Manchester (GM) Child Death Overview Panels (CDOP) reviewing all infant and child deaths reported to the four GM CDOPs and including data from cases closed between 1st April 2019 and 31st March 2020.  All deaths of children between 0-17 years of age are reported to a CDOP which analyses the social and medical circumstances surrounding these deaths, including risk factors which could potentially be avoided to prevent future child deaths. The aim of the Annual Report was to inform and guide local organisations on preventing further child deaths.

The Annual Report presented an analysis of data gathered and presented recommendations and actions arising from considerations in the previous year.  The Report was supported at the meeting by a presentation introduced by Rebecca Fletcher, Consultant in Public Health and Chair of the ORB CDOP 2019/20 and Annie Lowe, Public Health Registrar.  The Report contained a review of the 129 closed cases in GM and data collected between 1^st April 2019 -31^st March 2020. 

Highlighted report findings were that a reduction in the number of cases reviewed across all CDOPs were mainly due to changes in the child death review process; and potentially modifiable factors were identified in 40% of all closed cases, with identified themes of age, causes, deprivation and ethnicity being further considered.  Modifiable factors highlighted in the GM report included unsafe sleeping, maternal obesity in pregnancy, consanguinity, and smoking

The Annual Report recommendations were summarised to the Board as

·         local areas should use the information on BAME communities being disproportionately represented, along with other local information, to inform work to address health inequalities;

·         a continuing focus be given to smoking cessation in pregnant women;

·         GM local authorities needing to reduce levels of obesity throughout the population, including women;

·         GM CDOP Chairs to commission a 5-year GM CDOP analysis of cases;

·         local areas to consider real time data on suicides to inform more timely responses; and

·         implementation of an electronic CDOP reporting system to improve the process.

Further to a query as to whether future reports might include a trend analysis, it was suggested that as numbers were small these might be difficult to demonstrate.  However, local figures were reviewed to see if trends were emerging and the proposed five year report may enable trends, particularly at the GM level, to be identified.

RESOLVED that the Greater Manchester Child Death Overview Panels Annual Report 2019/20 be received and noted, and the recommendations contained therein be supported.