We must do more to cut down cot deaths

A cot death charity is urging local authorities in the North West to focus their efforts on bringing down the number of infant deaths.

The call to action comes as part of Safer Sleep Week, the Lullaby Trust’s national campaign to raise awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (Sids) also known as cot death, and the lifesaving advice that parents can follow to reduce the risk of it occurring.

According to the latest results from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in 2017 SIDS rates in England and Wales went down to the lowest on record. Sids rates in the region have also decreased from 0.45 in 2016 to 0.36 in 2017.

However, rates of Sids deaths in the North West are still among the highest in the country, considerably higher than the average rate in England of 0.27.

Worryingly, a new national survey of over new 7,000 parents commissioned by The Lullaby Trust has shown that over a third of parents in the North West have put their baby in an unsafe sleeping environment or admitted to taking actions which could greatly increase the risk of SIDS in order to get them to sleep for longer.

These included unsafe co-sleeping, such as a parent co-sleeping with their baby on their chest or on a sofa or armchair. An adult sleeping on a sofa or armchair with a baby increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by up to 50 times.

The survey found that a quarter of parents also admitted to putting their baby on their front or side to sleep. Sleeping a baby on their back for every sleep is one of the most protective actions that can be taken to reduce the risk of Sids. Since this came into public awareness with the Back to Sleep campaign in 1992, the rate of SIDS deaths has dropped by 82 per cent.

Jenny Ward, CEO of The Lullaby Trust says: “It is concerning that the rate of Sids is higher than the national average in the North West.

“The survey results suggest that more needs to be done to ensure all parents in the North West are aware of the importance of following safer sleep practices for every sleep day and night.

“We know consistently following safer sleep advice can be difficult, especially when new parents are very tired but doing so is vital to reducing the risk of SIDS. We strongly urge local authorities and health trusts to help us bring down the number of deaths in the North West by ensuring safer sleep messages consistently reach all families.”

The Lullaby Trust has partnered with Public Health England on an animation for new parents with messages on coping with tiredness and safer sleep, released as part of their annual awareness raising campaign Safer Sleep Week.