Consultation
Infant mortality outputs review
20 April 2017
Office for National Statistics
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Infant mortality outputs review
Contents
Background.......................................................................................................................... 3
Why do ONS want to change the number of outputs? ......................................................... 4
Questions............................................................................................................................. 5
Consultation timetable ......................................................................................................... 5
After the consultation ........................................................................................................... 5
Getting in Touch .................................................................................................................. 6
Confidentiality and data protection ....................................................................................... 6
Accessibility ......................................................................................................................... 6
Annex A – Consultation questions ....................................................................................... 7
Annex B – Characteristics ONS currently provide for the outputs...................................... 18
Annex C – Comparison of infant death figures .................................................................. 20
Annex D – Death registrations vs. death occurrences ....................................................... 21
Annex E – Variables available from birth registrations, death registrations and birth
notifications ........................................................................................................................ 22
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Infant mortality outputs review
Background
This consultation outlines proposed changes to the annual infant mortality statistics published by
the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and outlines future plans. Feedback from users is
encouraged.
ONS publishes annual infant mortality statistics for England and Wales in a number of key outputs:

Childhood mortality in England and Wales

Birth cohort tables for infant deaths, England and Wales

Pregnancy and ethnic factors influencing births and infant mortality, England and Wales,
England (only) and, Wales (only)

Unexplained deaths in infancy, England and Wales

Death registration summary tables for England and Wales

Deaths registered in England and Wales (Series DR)
The release of these outputs varies depending on timing of the extracts used and the availability of
final data from Scotland and Northern Ireland to compile UK data.
To ensure the publication of more timely and fit for purpose final figures, ONS is proposing to
change the extracts used in the creation of the publications; this will streamline the outputs and
ensure users have the most suitable cross tabulations available to them.
The section titled ‘Why do ONS want to change the number of outputs?’ provides more information
on the reasons behind this proposal.
Consideration also needs to be given to the content of the future releases to ensure they meet user
needs, are in line with disclosure control guidance and provide a sufficient level of information to
inform decisions.
About infant mortality statistics
Childhood and infant mortality statistics are based on information recorded when deaths are
certified and registered. The annual total of deaths occurring in a calendar year is taken from the
standard dataset for death occurrences created from the deaths database. This annual extract is
taken approximately 10-11 months after the end of the data year to allow for late registrations.
Although there will be a small number of deaths not registered when the annual extract of death
occurrences is taken, delaying the timing of the extract any further will delay the publication of the
data.
The birth cohort tables for infant death represent those babies born in a calendar year who died
before their first birthday.
The statistics in the pregnancy and ethnic factors influencing birth and deaths release are based
on babies born in a calendar year (whose birth registration have been successfully linked to their
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Infant mortality outputs review
birth notification) who died before their first birthday. Linking to the birth notification enables
additional analysis on ethnicity and gestation. Further information on birth notifications can be
found in the User guide to birth statistics.
Unexplained deaths in infancy are those that have occurred in a calendar year. It includes sudden
infant deaths and infant deaths where the causes remained unascertained after a full investigation.
Further information can be found in the unexplained deaths in infancy quality and methodology
information document.
Mortality data is linked to births data so that information about the parents (collected at the birth
registration) can be used for analysis by certain risk factors; these include birthweight, mother’s
age at birth of child, mother’s country of birth, marital status, parity (number of previous children)
and the parent’s socio economic status based on occupation.
Further information on childhood and infant mortality can be found in the User guide to child
mortality statistics and child mortality statistics quality and methodology information document.
Infant mortality statistics presented in deaths registered in England and Wales are based on
information recorded when deaths are certified and registered. The annual total of deaths
registered in a calendar year is taken from the standard dataset for death registrations created
from the deaths database. This annual extract is taken approximately 4 months after the end of the
data year. Further information can be found in the User guide to mortality statistics and mortality
statistics quality and methodology information document.
Why do ONS want to change the number of outputs?
As mentioned in the previous section, the timing of the release of outputs are dependent on the
timings of the extracts (please see annex C for a comparison on the numbers of deaths).

Childhood mortality in England and Wales (published approximately 14-15 months after the
end of the reference year). This release is based on final death figures that have occurred
in a calendar year. Deaths are further linked to their birth registration where possible to
enable analysis by certain risk factors such as, birthweight, age of mother and marital
status.

Birth cohort tables for infant deaths, England and Wales (published approximately 26-27
months after the end of the reference year). This release is based on birth figures that have
occurred in a calendar year where the baby has died before their first birthday (either in the
same reference year or the following year). These birth registrations are linked to their
corresponding death registration taken from the final death occurrence extract.

Pregnancy and ethnic factors influencing births and infant mortality, England and Wales,
England and, Wales (published approximately 20 months after the end of the reference
year). This release is based on births that have occurred in a calendar year where the baby
has died before their first birthday (either in the same reference year or the following year).
These birth registrations are linked to their corresponding birth notification and their
corresponding death registration taken from a provisional death occurrence extract.
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
Death registration summary tables for England and Wales (published approximately 7
months after the end of the reference year). This release is based on final death figures that
have been registered in a calendar year.

Deaths registered in England and Wales (Series DR) (published approximately 11 months
after the end of the reference year). This release is based on final death figures that have
been registered in a calendar year. It contains more detailed cause of death detail for those
aged 28 days and over.
Due to the timings of the extracts and the linkage that is carried out, there are different infant and
child mortality figures across publications which can be confusing for users.
To ensure the publication of more timely and fit for purpose final figures, ONS is proposing to
change the extracts used in the creation of the publications; this will streamline the outputs and
ensure users have the most suitable cross tabulations available to them.
The feedback received from users will drive any changes made to the annual publications. We do
not anticipate any delays in publishing times. However, this cannot be guaranteed as any changes
may increase the time taken for processing and quality assurance of figures.
Questions
To ensure statistics continue to meet user requirements, ONS encourages you to respond in detail
to the following questions. Please use the response form provided at:
https://consultations.ons.gov.uk/health-and-life-events/infant-mortality-consultation
If you wish to contact us about the consultation please contact Vital Statistics Outputs Branch by
telephone (01329 444110) or email: [email protected].
All responses received will be used to help ONS determine the content of future infant mortality
publications, but final decisions will be subject to resource constraints and a requirement to protect
the confidentiality of individuals.
Consultation timetable
This consultation will run from Thursday 20th April to Thursday 20th July.
After the consultation
We will publish a summary of the comments made approximately 12 weeks after the consultation
closes.
Any changes that have been identified through the consultation process will be implemented in the
next annual publication(s).
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Getting in Touch
If you have any queries or comments about the consultation process, please email Simeon Bowen
at [email protected] or call 0845 601 3034.
You can also write to us at the following address:
Consultation Coordinator,
Room 1.101
Office for National Statistics,
Government Buildings,
Cardiff Road,
Newport,
South Wales,
NP10 8XG.
For further information on ONS consultations, please visit https://consultations.ons.gov.uk/
Follow us:
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Confidentiality and data protection
As someone who is interested in ONS statistics, we’d welcome your views. We may use your
contact details to get in touch about future surveys or consultations. You can opt out at any time by
emailing [email protected].
The information you send us may be passed to other parts of Government. Your response might
be made available if required under a Freedom of Information request.
We aim to be as open and transparent as possible, so we will publish all responses to this survey.
This will include the name of your organisation, and with your permission, also your name. We will
not publish personal contact details.
Accessibility
All material relating to this consultation can be provided in braille, large print or audio formats on
request. British Sign Language interpreters can also be requested for any supporting events.
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Annex A – Consultation questions
Your use of childhood mortality statistics
1 What do you use ONS childhood mortality statistics for?
Please select all that apply
More Information
Tables can be accessed at:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/childmor
talitystatisticschildhoodinfantandperinatalchildhoodinfantandperinatalmortalityinenglandandwales
 Do not use (please move to the next page)
 Monitoring or formulating policy
 Influencing policy
 Planning services
 Academic purposes
 Media use
 Personal use
 Charity work
 Other (please specify) ___________________________________
2 Which of the following childhood mortality tables from the annual release do you use, if
any?
Please select all that apply
More Information
Tables can be accessed at:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/childmor
talitystatisticschildhoodinfantandperinatalchildhoodinfantandperinatalmortalityinenglandandwales
 Do not use the childhood mortality tables
 All
 Table 1: Live births, stillbirths, infant deaths and childhood deaths under 15: numbers and rates,
1981 to 2015
 Table 2: Live births, stillbirths, infant deaths and childhood deaths under 15: country of
occurrence and sex, numbers and rates, 2015 (UK and constituent countries)
 Table 3: Live births, stillbirths and infant deaths: area of residence, numbers and rates, 2015
 Table 4: Postneonatal and childhood deaths: broad underlying cause groups, age and sex, 2015
 Table 5: All infant deaths and linked infant deaths: numbers and rates, 1980 to 2015
 Table 6: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: ONS cause groups and birthweight, 2015
 Table 7: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: ONS cause groups and age of mother,
2015
 Table 8: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: ONS cause groups, marital status of
mother/type of registration and number of previous children, 2015
 Table 9: Stillbirths: ONS cause groups and birthweight by gestation period, 2015
 Table 10: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: birthweight by age of mother, numbers
and rates, 2015
 Table 11: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: birthweight and mother’s country of
birth, numbers and rates, 2015
 Table 12: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: birthweight, type of registration and
socio-economic classification, numbers and rates, 2015
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 Table 13: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: mother’s age, marital status of
mother/type of registration and number of previous children, numbers and rates, 2015
 Table 14: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: place of delivery, birthweight, numbers
and rates, 2015
 Table 15: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: place of delivery and age of mother,
numbers and rates, 2015
 Table 16: Live births, stillbirths and infant deaths: within and outside marriage (for births), and
age at death, numbers, 1921 to 2015
 Table 17: Stillbirth and infant death rates: age at death, 1921 to 2015
3 Which geography level(s) do you require the childhood mortality tables for?
Please select all that apply
More Information
Definitions of geography levels
are available at https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/geography/ukgeographies
At lower level geographies, data may require suppression to protect the confidentially of individuals.
 UK
 England and Wales (combined)
 England (only)
 Wales (only)
 Regions in England
 Local authority level
 Output area
Other (please specify) ___________________________________
4 Which, if any, statistics from these tables are important to you and what do you use them
for? E.g. rates, numbers
Please answer in the box below
Your use of birth cohort for infant death statistics
5 What do you use ONS birth cohort for infant death statistics for?
Please select all that apply
More Information
Tables can be accessed at:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/birthcoh
orttablesforinfantdeaths
 Do not use (please move to the next page)
 Monitoring or formulating policy
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 Influencing policy
 Planning services
 Academic purposes
 Media use
 Personal use
 Charity work
 Other (please specify) ___________________________________
6 Which of the following birth cohort for infant death tables from the annual release do you
use, if any?
Please select all that apply
More Information
Tables can be accessed at:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/birthcoh
orttablesforinfantdeaths
 Do not use the birth cohort for infant death tables
 All
 Table 1: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: month of birth in 2014, numbers
and rates
 Table 2: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: babies born in 2014, plurality,
numbers and rates
 Table 3: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: babies born in 2014, plurality and
birthweight, numbers and rates
 Table 4: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: babies born in 2014, plurality by
age of mother, numbers and rates
 Table 5: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: babies born in 2014, mother's
country of birth, numbers and rates
 Table 6: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: babies born in 2014, plurality,
marital status of mother/type of registration and number of previous children, numbers and
rates
 Table 7: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: babies born in 2014, plurality,
marital status of mother/type of registration and socio-economic classification, numbers
and rates
 Table 8: Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths: babies born in 2014, ONS cause
groups, numbers and rates
7 Which geography level(s) do you require the birth cohort for infant death tables for?
Please select all that apply
More Information
Definitions of geography levels are available at
https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/geography/ukgeographies
At lower level geographies, data may require suppression to protect the confidentially of individuals.
 UK
 England and Wales (combined)
 England (only)
 Wales (only)
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 Regions in England
 Local authority level
 Output area
Other (please specify) ___________________________________
8 Which, if any, statistics from these tables are important to you and what do you use them
for? E.g. rates, numbers
Please answer in the box below
Your use of pregnancy and ethnic factors influencing births and infant mortality
statistics
9 What do you use ONS pregnancy and ethnic factors influencing births and infant mortality
statistics for?
Please select all that apply
More Information
Tables can be accessed at:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/bulletins/pregn
ancyandethnicfactorsinfluencingbirthsandinfantmortality/2015-10-14/relateddata
 Do not use (please move to the next page)
 Monitoring or formulating policy
 Influencing policy
 Planning services
 Academic purposes
 Media use
 Personal use
 Charity work
 Other (please specify) ___________________________________
10 Which of the following pregnancy and ethnic factors influencing births and infant
mortality tables from the annual release do you use, if any?
Please select all that apply
More Information
Tables can be accessed at:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/bulletins/pregna
ncyandethnicfactorsinfluencingbirthsandinfantmortality/2015-10-14/relateddata
 Do not use the pregnancy and ethnic factors influencing births and infant mortality tables
 All
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 Table 1: Live birth and death records used in the analysis, 2014 birth cohort
 Table 2: Live births, stillbirths and infant deaths by gestational age at birth, 2014 birth
cohort, numbers and rates
 Table 3: Live births, neonatal and infant mortality by birthweight and gestational age at
birth, 2014 birth cohort, numbers and rates
 Table 4: Live births, neonatal and infant mortality by mother's age and gestational age at
birth, 2014 birth cohort, numbers and rates
 Table 5: Live births, neonatal and infant mortality by multiplicity and gestational age at
birth, 2014 birth cohort, numbers and rates
 Table 6: Live births, neonatal and infant mortality by marital status / type of registration
and gestational age at birth, 2014 birth cohort, numbers and rates
 Table 7: Live births, neonatal and infant mortality by NS-SEC (based the most
advantaged of the mother's and father's occupation) and gestational age at birth, 2014
birth cohort, numbers
 Table 8: Live births, neonatal and infant mortality by ethnic group and gestational age at
birth, 2014 birth cohort, numbers and rates
 Table 9: Infant deaths by Office for National Statistics (ONS) cause groups and
gestational age at birth, 2014 birth cohort, numbers and percentages
 Table 10: Infant deaths by Office for National Statistics (ONS) cause groups and ethnic
group, 2014 birth cohort, numbers and percentages
11 Which geography level(s) do you require the pregnancy and ethnic factors influencing
births and infant mortality tables for?
Please select all that apply
More Information
Definitions of geography levels are available at
https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/geography/ukgeographies
At lower level geographies, data may require suppression to protect the confidentially of individuals.
 UK
 England and Wales (combined)
 England (only)
 Wales (only)
 Regions in England
 Local authority level
 Output area
Other (please specify) ___________________________________
12 Which, if any, statistics from these tables are important to you and what do you use them
for? E.g. rates, numbers
Please answer in the box below
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Your requirements of cause of death for perinatal deaths (infants and stillbirths)
In England and Wales, stillbirths and neonatal deaths are registered using a special death certificate which
enables reporting of relevant diseases or conditions of both the infant and the mother.
As there is no underlying cause available for these deaths, ONS has developed the ‘ONS cause groups’.
This is a hierarchical classification system that groups deaths into broad cause groups based on the causes
mentioned on the death certificate. This allows for comparisons and further analysis.
More information and the categories used can be found in the user guide to child mortality statistics.
13 Do you use the ONS hierarchical cause groups for neonatal deaths?
Please choose one answer
More information can be found:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/methodologies/us
erguidetochildmortalitystatistics
 Yes
 No
14 Do you use the ONS hierarchical cause groups for stillbirths?
Please choose one answer
More information can be found:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/methodologies/u
serguidetochildmortalitystatistics
 Yes
 No
15 If you have answered yes to either of the above, do you find this grouping useful?
Please choose one answer
 Yes
 No
16 Would you prefer a grouping based on underlying cause of death?
Please choose one answer
More Information
Underlying cause of death is defined as “the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events
leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury”, in
accordance with the rules of the International Classification of Diseases.
 Yes
 No
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17 If we were able to provide a single underlying cause of death for perinatal deaths would
this be useful to you?
Please choose one answer
More Information
Underlying cause of death is defined as “the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events
leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury”, in
accordance with the rules of the International Classification of Diseases.
 Yes
 No
18 Both maternal and foetal causes are mentioned on the perinatal certificate, which would
you deem more important in assigning an underlying cause of death?
Please choose one answer
More information can be found:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/methodologies/us
erguidetochildmortalitystatistics
 Maternal cause
 Foetal cause
 Both
19 Both maternal and foetal causes are mentioned on the perinatal certificate, the World
Health Organization (WHO) recommends using the foetal cause. To what extent do you
agree or disagree?
Please choose one answer
More information can be found:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/methodologies/u
serguidetochildmortalitystatistics
 Strongly agree
 Agree
 Neither agree or disagree
 Disagree
 Strongly disagree
20 There can be up to 15 conditions mentioned on a death certificate, do you require data
based on these?
Please choose one answer
More Information
There can be up to 15 conditions listed on a death certificate, where these terms are converted to
International classification of diseases (ICD) codes. These codes are then run through selection and
modification rules that assign an underlying cause of death.
 Yes
 No
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If yes, please specify specific causes or groups of causes of interest
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
What do you require from the tables?
21 Would you prefer data based on the number of deaths that have been registered in a
calendar year or number of deaths that have occurred in a calendar year?
Please choose one answer
More Information
Data for deaths based on registrations in a calendar year is released earlier than deaths based on
occurrences in a calendar year. Please refer to Annex D for more information on this.
 Registrations in a calendar year
 Occurrences in a calendar year
 Both
 No opinion
22 Would you prefer deaths based on the death cohort or birth cohort?
Please choose one answer
More Information
A death cohort is the number of deaths that have been registered or occurred in a calendar year which can
be linked to the corresponding birth registration.
A birth cohort is the number of births that have occurred in a calendar year which are then linked to their
corresponding birth notification or death registration.
Data for deaths based on death cohort is released earlier than birth cohort due to the timing of the extracts.
Please refer to Annex C for more information on this.
 Death cohort
 Birth cohort
 Both
 No opinion
23 What characteristics would you like to see included in the child mortality tables?
Please select all that apply
 Sex
 Birthweight (grouped)
 Region of usual residence of mother
 Country of usual residence of mother
 Mother's age
 National Statistics-Socio Economic Classification
 Marital status
 Type of registration
 ONS cause groups
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 Underlying cause of death (ICD-10)
 Gestation (weeks)
 Mother's country of birth
 Infant deaths
 Childhood deaths
 Number of previous children
 Place of delivery
 Ethnicity
 Singleton and multiple birth
 Causes mentioned on the death certificate
24 What characteristics would you like to see included in the birth cohort/pregnancy and
ethnic factors influencing births and infant mortality tables?
Please select all that apply
 Sex
 Birthweight (grouped)
 Region of usual residence of mother
 Country of usual residence of mother
 Mother's age
 National Statistics-Socio Economic Classification
 Marital status
 Type of registration
 ONS cause groups
 Underlying cause of death (ICD-10)
 Gestation (weeks)
 Mother's country of birth
 Infant deaths
 Number of previous children
 Place of delivery
 Ethnicity
 Singleton and multiple birth
 Causes mentioned on the death certificate
25 Annex E, in the consultation document lists variables available from birth registrations,
death registrations and birth notifications. Are there any other variables not listed in Q23
and Q24 that you require data on?
Please comment in the boxes below
More Information
Please refer to Annex E
Birth registrations
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Death registrations
Birth notification
Please tell us a bit about you…
To promote greater transparency in our decision making, we will publish all responses in full. We may also
attribute comments to the person providing them when we report the outcomes of this consultation. We will
not publish personal contact details, but will give the name of the responding organisation where relevant.
26 What is your name?
Name ______________________________
27 Are you happy for your name to be published alongside your response?
Please choose one answer
 Yes
 No
How we will handle your response
To show that we are being open and honest, responses to this consultation will be made public. This will
include the name of your organisation, and with your permission, also your name. We will not publish
personal contact details.
28 What is your email address?
Email _____________________________
29 What is your organisation?
Organisation_____________________________
30 What sector do you work in?
Please select all that apply
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 Academic/research (e.g student, postgraduate researcher)
 Charity and voluntary
 Business
 Journalist/Media
 Local or regional government/public organisation
 National government department/organisation
 International organisation
Other (please specify) _____________________________
31 May we contact you to discuss your response to this consultation?
This may be to follow up any specific points that we need to clarify.
 Yes
 No
32 Are you happy for us to contact you about future ONS consultations and surveys?
Please choose one answer
 Yes
 No
33 And finally, how satisfied are you with our consultation service today?
Please choose one answer
 Very satisfied
 Satisfied
 Neutral
 Unsatisfied
 Very unsatisfied
Thank you for completing the infant mortality outputs review survey.
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Annex B – Characteristics ONS currently provide for the outputs
Sex
Birthweight
(grouped)
Region of usual
residence of mother
Country of usual
residence of mother
Mother's age
National Statistics
Socio-economic
classification
Marital status
Type of registration
Ethnicity
Multiple/singleton
birth
ONS cause groups
Cause of death
(ICD-10)
Gestation (weeks)
Mother's country of
birth
Infant deaths
Childhood deaths
Number of previous
children
Place of delivery
Month of birth
Sex
Birthweight
(grouped)
Region of usual
residence of mother
Country of usual
residence of mother
Mother's age
National Statistics
Socio-economic
Birth cohort
tables for
infant deaths
Pregnancy and ethnic
factors influencing births
and infant deaths
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Childhood
mortality
x
x
x
x
X
stillbirths only
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Deaths registered in England
and Wales
x
Deaths registered in England and
Wales (Series DR)
x
x
x
x
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classification
Marital status
Type of registration
Ethnicity
Multiple/singleton
birth
ONS cause groups
Cause of death
(ICD-10)
Gestation (weeks)
Mother's country of
birth
Infant deaths
Childhood deaths
Number of previous
children
Place of delivery
Month of birth
x
x
x
x
x
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Annex C – Comparison of infant death figures
Data published for 2015 death cohort
2015 death
cohort –
registrations in a
calendar year
2015 death
cohort occurrences in a
calendar year unlinked deaths
2015 death
cohort occurrences in a
calendar year linked deaths
Infant deaths
2,721
2,578
2,531
Publication
Deaths registered
in England and
Wales
Childhood
mortality statistics
Childhood
mortality statistics
Linkage
N/A
N/A
Death registration
linked to birth
registration
Data published for 2014 birth cohort
2014 birth cohort occurrences in a calendar
year
2014 birth cohort –
occurrences in a
calendar year
Infant deaths
2,441
2,601
Publication
Pregnancy and ethnic
factors influencing births
and infant deaths
Birth cohort for infant
deaths
Linkage
Birth registration linked to
birth notification and death
registration
Birth registration
linked to death
registration

2015 death cohort – registrations: all infant deaths that are registered in 2015 that occurred
in 2015 or the previous years

2015 death cohort – occurrences, unlinked: all infant deaths that occurred in 2015 which
were registered in 2015 or in 2016 before the extract was taken (approx month 10 or 11)

2015 death cohort – occurrences, linked: all infant deaths that occurred in 2015 which were
registered in 2015 or in 2016 before the extract was taken (approx month 10 or 11) linked
to their corresponding birth registration

2014 birth cohort – occurrences: all births that occurred in 2014 where the baby died before
their first birthday linked to the death registration where the death was registered in 2014 or
2015
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Annex D – Death registrations vs. death occurrences
The annual death registration dataset is taken approximately 3-4 months after the end of the
reference year. The annual number of deaths that are registered in a calendar year can include
deaths that have not occurred in that calendar year due to the timing of the death and delayed
registrations (table below). The delay in registering a death is due to the death being referred to a
coroner. Further information on the impact of registration delays for a range of causes can be
found on our website.
Year
Number of
registrations
Number
registered
which
occurred in
that year
Percentage of
those
registered that
occurred in
that year
Number
registered
which
occurred in
previous
years
Percentage of
those
registered that
occurred in
previous
years
2014 (All ages)
501,424
477,752
95.3%
23,672
4.7%
2015 (All ages)
529,655
504,483
95.2%
25,172
4.8%
2014 (Infant)
2,689
2,244
83.5%
445
16.5%
2015 (Infant)
2,721
2,335
85.8%
386
14.2%
The first publication based on death registrations is approximately 7 months after the end of the
reference year. Annual data based on death registrations allows the output of more timely mortality
data
For a final annual extract of death occurrences to be acceptably complete, it is taken approximately
10-11 months after the end of the reference year to allow for any late registrations. However, there
are some late registrations that are not included in the annual death occurrence dataset (table
below).
Year death occurred
Number of late death
registrations (all ages) not
included in the occurrence
dataset (as of April 2017)
Number of late death
registrations (infant) not
included in the occurrence
dataset (as of April 2017)
2013
2,916
118
2014
2,627
91
The first publication based on final death occurrences is approximately 14-15 months after the end
of the reference year. The annual occurrence dataset allows for seasonal analysis of mortality data
and more detailed infant mortality outputs.
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The difference between death registrations and death occurrences in a year is relatively small (see
table below).
Registrations
Occurrences
Percentage
difference
Annual
dataset
501,424
499,770
0.3%
Infant
deaths
2,689
2,517
6.6%
Annual
dataset
529,655
524,994
0.9%
Infant
deaths
2,721
2,578
5.4%
2014
2015
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Annex E – Variables available from birth registrations, death
registrations and birth notifications
Variable
Age
Age of father at birth
Age of father at marriage
Age of mother at birth
Age of mother at marriage
Date of birth
Date of birth father
Date of birth mother
Second female parent
indicator
Date of occurrence
(deaths)
Date of registration
Sex
Birthweight
Gestation (weeks)
Ethnicity
Stillbirth indicator
Time of delivery
Multiple birth type
Maternity selection
indicator
Singleton and multiple
birth indicator
Number of previous
children (total, live born,
stillborn)
Communal establishment
NHS indicator for place of
birth/death
Country of birth of father
Country of birth of mother
Place of accident
Place of occurrence
Postcode of place of
death
Postcode of usual
residence
Manner of death
Final manner of death
ICD code mentions for
perinatal deaths
Final ICD code mentions
for perinatal deaths
Column number for
conditions mentioned on
Birth registrations
Death registrations
Birth notification
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
(stillbirths only)
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
(of mother)
x
(stillbirths only)
x
(stillbirths only)
x
(stillbirths only)
x
(of mother for infant
and child)
x
x
x
(neonates only)
x
(neonates only)
x
(neonates only)
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death certificate
Final column number for
conditions mentioned on
death certificate
Row number for
conditions mentioned on
death certificate
Final row number for
conditions mentioned on
death certificate
Death in labour indicator
for stillbirths
ONS cause group
ICD10 code for underlying
cause of death
Final ICD10 code for
underlying cause of death
Final line number for
conditions mentioned on
death certificate
Line number for
conditions mentioned on
death certificate
ICD10 code for secondary
cause of death
Final ICD10 code for
secondary cause of death
By whom referred to
coroner
Post-mortem held
Type of medical certificate
presented
Who carried out postmortem
Marital status/registration
status
Multiple marriage indicator
Year and month of
marriage
Duration of marriage
Employment status
National statistics socioeconomic status father
National statistics socioeconomic status mother
Standard occupation
classification
x
(stillbirths only)
x
(neonates only)
x
(stillbirths only)
x
(neonates only)
x
(stillbirths only)
x
(neonates only)
x
(stillbirths only)
x
x
(deaths over 28 days)
x
(deaths over 28 days)
x
(deaths over 28 days)
x
(deaths over 28 days)
x
(deaths over 28 days)
x
(deaths over 28 days)
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
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