The Public Health and Health Integration Scrutiny Commission met on Tuesday 28 April 2026 to discuss significant public health issues, including the concerning infant mortality rate in Leicester, the findings of the LLR Child Death Overview Panel's annual report, and health protection updates. The Commission noted the critical infant mortality figures and endorsed ongoing work with partners to address this, while also reviewing detailed findings on child deaths and receiving updates on health protection measures.

Reducing Infant Mortality in Leicester

The Commission received a report detailing the alarming infant mortality rate in Leicester, which is the second highest in England. Between 2022 and 2024, Leicester recorded 105 infant deaths, equating to a rate of 7.9 per 1,000 live births, significantly higher than the England average of 4.2 per 1,000 live births. The report highlighted that the neonatal death rate (under 28 days) is also significantly higher in Leicester, accounting for 70-80% of all infant deaths in the city. Data also indicated that infants of Black or Black British ethnicity have the highest death rate, more than double that of infants of White ethnicity.

In response to these figures, a multi-phase approach involving the Public Health team, the Integrated Care Board (ICB), Leicestershire Public Health, NHS England, and the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (OHID) is underway. This initiative aims to identify areas for improvement through insights gathered from focus groups and interviews, a Call to Action conference, and the subsequent development of action plans. Key themes identified include targeting risk and reducing inequalities, ensuring consistent, high-quality, and accessible support, fostering trusted relationships and community-led support, and improving joined-up systems, information, and intelligence. The Commission was asked to recognise the gravity of the situation, support the ongoing work, and champion existing positive initiatives, such as the Bumps to Babies programme, the use of the Safer Sleeping Risk Assessment Tool, successful smoking cessation rates in pregnancy, and the Maternal Weight Health Needs Assessment. The report also noted emerging themes around overseas IVF conceptions and late booking of pregnancies, particularly among Black women.

LLR Child Death Overview Panel Annual Report 2024/25

The Commission reviewed the LLR Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) Annual Report for 2024/25, presented by Rob Howard, LLR CDOP Chair and Director of Public Health for Leicester City Council, and Dr Suzi Armitage, LLR Designated Doctor for Child Deaths. The report detailed that 92 notifications of child deaths were received, with 27% requiring a Joint Agency Response. A significant proportion of these notifications (55%) involved babies who died after birth but before discharge from hospital.

The report highlighted key local learning, identifying contributory factors such as Smoking in pregnancy, Unhealthy weight in pregnancy, Household exposure to cigarette smoke, Poor communication between agencies, Guidelines or policies not being followed, and Missed signs of deterioration as the top six modifiable factors that could reduce future child deaths. Modifiable factors were identified in 46% of LLR cases, a figure slightly higher than the England average. The report also detailed modifiable factors in service provision, with issues arising in communication between agencies, adherence to guidelines, and recognition of deteriorating conditions. Positive aspects of service delivery were noted in 60% of cases, including advanced care planning, communication and teamwork between agencies, and end-of-life care planning. The report also covered thematic learning on infant mortality, sudden unexplained infant deaths, and deaths of children with a learning disability, alongside national learning from the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD). The CDOP's recommendations included promoting breastfeeding, the use of the Safer Sleeping Risk Assessment Tool, reducing smoking in pregnancy, promoting healthy weight, improving service provision through better communication and adherence to guidelines, sharing best practices in end-of-life care, and ensuring children with learning disabilities are on GP registers and have allocated lead consultants.

Health Protection

The Director of Public Health provided a verbal update on health protection matters. Key points from the previous meeting's discussion on health protection included an increase in MMR 2 uptake, improved uptake for Flu and Covid vaccinations, and the commencement of the HPV school vaccination programme with a new consent form appearing to increase uptake. The report also noted that the TB action plan had been refreshed. Regarding a Meningitis outbreak in Kent, it was confirmed that suspected cases in Leicester had not been confirmed as Meningitis and the outbreak was considered well-contained. The Commission had previously recommended writing to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for more funding for the vaccination programme in the city and hoped the House of Lords committee looking into childhood vaccination rates would visit Leicester.

The Commission agreed that slides on Meningitis signs and symptoms and data on Meningitis vaccine uptake for 14/15 year-olds would be circulated. They also agreed to write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to request increased funding to promote vaccine coverage in the city.

Work Programme

The Commission considered its work programme. It was noted that NHS Dentistry could be considered at a future meeting, along with a report on palliative care, including information on LOROS Hospice, and a Winter Plan Debrief. The work programme was noted.