Blackpool Council Annual Health Report 2019 Blackpool Council Annual Health Report PAGES | Page 12
FACTS AND FIGURES
In Blackpool, we have approximately 1,600 live births a year with a live birth rate of
70.6 per 1,000 women (known as the ‘general fertility rate’). Only 3.9% of births in
Blackpool were to black or minority ethnic (BME) mothers (2016/2017), which is in
keeping with our relatively low proportion of the whole Blackpool population from
BME groups (approximately 3%).
Being born prematurely or with a low birthweight (LBW) due to growth restriction
during pregnancy (classified as below 2500g or below 2000g for very low birth
weight, VLBW) can increase the risk of health problems in the first weeks of life and
increase hospital stays for new-borns. LBW is associated with cognitive impairment
and the development of chronic disease that can last into later life. In 2017, 5.3% of
babies born at full-term had LBW (significantly higher than the England rate of 2.8%),
and when incorporating premature births, 7.9% were LBW. Only 0.85% of all live
births were classified as VLBW, which was not significantly higher than the
national average.
Blackpool experiences higher than average stillbirth, neonatal and infant mortality
rates; however the actual number of deaths each year is small, which means the
rates are subject to large annual variation and need to be interpreted with caution.
In the last three year period recorded (2015-2017) there were 6.4 per 1,000 infant
deaths (under one year) per 1,000 live births (compared to 3.9 per 1,000 in England).
In 2016, there were 9.4 stillbirths and deaths under 28 days per 1,000 births in
Blackpool (compared to 7.1 per 1,000 in England).
THE FAMILY NURSE PARTNERSHIP work with young
first time mothers, fathers and wider family to enable them to make choices which
will support their child to achieve their optimum development, be school ready
and have the best possible outcomes for the future. The same family nurse works
with each family over two years to develop trusting, therapeutic relationships that
promote engagement.
They support parents to consider their child’s safety and think how their
relationships can ensure a child is protected from harm. In 2018, the team worked
with 150 families using a strength-based approach, underpinned by consideration
of early trauma to ensure these often vulnerable families feel listened to and
heard. Family nurses support parents to access other services, such as mental
health or domestic violence services, in a targeted and individualised way to
ensure families get the right support at the right time in the right place for them.
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