§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the perinatal mortality rate for 467W babies weighing (a) under 1,000g, (b) 1,001–1,500g, (c) 1,501–2000g, (d) 2,0012,500g, and (e) over 2,500g for England, each regional health authority and each area health authority in 1977 and 1978.
§ Dr. VaughanIt would be a lengthy exercise, involving considerable cost, to make the precise calculations requested. However, table 1 below shows the perinatal mortality rates for babies weighing 2,500 grammes or less at birth by regional and area health authority for the years 1977–1979, and table II below gives the rates for England for the lower birth weight groups requested.
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TABLE 1: PERINATAL MORTALITY RATES PER 1,000 LIVE AND STILL BIRTHS REGIONAL AND AREA HEALTH AUTHORITIES Babies weighing 2,500 grammes or less at birth Authority 1977 1978 1979 1. Northern RHA … 187 168 161 Cleveland … 168 162 143 Cumbria … 241 181 169 Durham … 186 176 189 Northumberland … 177 222 136 Gateshead … 227 115 161 Newcastle upon Tyne … 164 115 139 North Tyneside … 208 194 175 South Tyneside … 171 179 151 Sunderland … 179 175 177 2. Yorkshire RHA … 159 146 147 Humberside … 198 150 152 North Yorkshire … 133 136 170 Bradford … 138 121 120 Calderdale … 187 185 169 Kirklees … 141 110 113 Leeds … 146 167 151 Wakefield … 186 209 189 3. Trent RHA … 158 145 138 Derbyshire … 175 123 128 Leicestershire … 153 163 109 Lincolnshire … 185 182 136 Nottinghamshire … 134 137 165 Barnsley … 240 172 190 Doncaster … 114 112 125 Rotherham … 173 122 146 Sheffield … 156 153 140 4. East Anglia RHA … 125 139 121 Cambridgeshire … 136 121 106 Norfolk … 112 154 134 Suffolk … 133 138 122 5. North West Thames RHA … 136 125 119 Bedfordshire … 152 164 163 Hertfordshire … 123 147 121 Barnet … 127 144 99 Brent/Harrow … 126 96 79 Ealing/Hammersmith/Hounslow … 132 101 123 Hillingdon … 199 106 128 Kensington/Chelsea/Westminster … 147 117 115 6. North-East Thames RHA … 143 132 123 Essex … 164 148 123 Barking/Havering … 145 158 156 Camden/Islington … 156 49 120 City/Hackney/Newham/Tower Hamlets … 132 122 128 Enfield/Haringey … 90 105 86 Redbridge/Waltham Forest … 154 178 127 Perinatal mortality rates for all births in the years 1977 and 1978 were published at the request of the hon. Member in the Official Report on 21 June 1978 and 22 October 1979 respectively.—[Vol. 952, c. 239–42; Vol. 972, c. 100ߝl6.] Provisional figures for 1979 have recently been published by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in its Monitor of 14 October 1980 DH3 80/2, a copy of which is in the Library. The hon. Member will note that many of the AHA rates are based on small numbers; these can lead to misinterpretation and suggest the need for care being exercised in drawing conclusions from them.
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Babies weighing 2,500 grammes or less at birth Authority 1977 1978 1979 7. South East Thames RHA … 147 137 128 East Sussex … 177 147 152 Kent … 116 148 122 Bexley/Greenwich … 162 133 112 Bromley … 176 185 120 Lambeth/Lewisham/Southwark … 169 104 132 8. South West Thames RHA … 159 147 132 Surrey … 149 147 110 West Sussex … 190 180 185 Croydon … 169 131 144 Kingston/Richmond … 123 130 122 Merton/Sutton/Wandsworth … 153 135 113 9. Wessex RHA … 142 122 125 Dorset … 173 126 110 Hampshire … 131 110 122 Wiltshire … 134 133 128 Isle of Wight … 273 190 250 10. Oxford RHA … 135 127 115 Berkshire … 115 136 123 Buckinghamshire … 162 156 106 Northamptonshire … 145 127 109 Oxfordshire … 126 78 125 11. South Western RHA … 149 151 118 Avon … 167 134 131 Cornwall/Isles of Scilly … 172 186 131 Devon … 138 178 116 Gloucestershire … 101 91 71 Somerset … 187 200 153 12. West Midlands RHA … 162 148 135 Hereford and Worcester … 136 125 128 Salop … 203 162 152 Staffordshire … 168 156 147 Warwickshire … 171 131 113 Birmingham … 156 147 128 Coventry … 132 126 120 Dudley … 218 222 156 Sandwell … 147 148 150 Solihull … 190 118 152 Walsall … 137 135 116 Wolverhampton … 171 155 146 13. Mersey RHA … 176 130 133 Cheshire … 205 141 164 Liverpool … 167 131 100 St. Helens/Knowsley … 191 95 131 Sefton … 191 95 122 Wirral … 101 204 136 14. North Western RHA … 161 152 136 Lancashire … 151 156 140 Bolton … 171 139 143 Bury … 229 131 130 Manchester … 124 117 118 Oldham … 113 132 83 Rochdale … 223 173 122 Salford … 195 135 187 Stockport … 185 205 134 Tameside … 143 183 110 Trafford … 136 109 163 Wigan … 213 210 191 ENGLAND … 154 142 132 470W
TABLE 2: PERINATAL MORTALITY RATES ENGLAND Per 1,000 lire and still births Birth weight group 1977 1978 1979 1,000 grammes … 811 792 773 1,001–1,500 grammes … 499 437 415 1,501–2,000 grammes … 187 173 152 2,001–2,500 grammes … 49 42 39 All babies weighing 2,500 grammes or less … 154 142 132