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Summary

QES are the technical providers of the National Child Mortality Database, developed with the aim to reduce premature mortality. NCMD works by analysing data on all deaths in children in England, aged between birth and their 18th birthday.

Around 4000 children and adolescents die every year before their 18th birthday in England. The UK has an excessive infant and child mortality rate in comparison with EU countries with comparable economies and health care systems.

Understanding children’s deaths and translating that learning into actions to reduce potentially avoidable deaths is of central importance.

The database has been initially funded for 4 years, and commissioned by Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) on behalf of NHS England. QES are the technical partners, working in collaboration with University of Bristol, University of Oxford and UCLPartners.

Since 1st April 2019, all Child Death Review (CDR) Partners are mandated to input data into NCMD. The data will be analysed at the Child Mortality Data Unit at the University of Bristol and will be used to inform strategic improvements in health and social care for children in England and to help providers to learn about how they can reduce child deaths.

QES have also developed a case management system for the CDR case management process, which is now being used across 110 Local Authorities and their CDR Partners in England. A connection between the two systems has been established, meaning all relevant data inputted into the eCDOP system will automatically be transferred and updated into NCMD. This saves CDR Partners significant administration time, and provides the NCMD team with instantaneous access to valuable data.