Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) takes the lives of 182 babies in the UK every year – the equivalent of approximately three a week.
This week marks the annual Safer Sleep Week campaign of the Lullaby Trust, a charity formed in 1971 to research and raise awareness around unexpected and unexplained infant deaths, which aims to offer simple advice to parents with young children.
The theme for this year is ‘the safest place’, as during a baby’s first few months of life, their airways are extremely vulnerable and must be protected. The Lullaby Trust therefore advise that: “The simplest way to do this is by sleeping a baby on their back on a firm, flat surface with no padded or cushioned areas.
“This will help to keep their airways open and reduce the risk of suffocation and SIDS.”
Merseyside Police HQ
GB News
In line with this week of awareness, Merseyside Police have launched a new, innovative way to help reduce the risk of incidents of Sudden Unexpected Death of Infants (a SUDI).
This region has one of the highest infant mortality rates in England, and yet, research has shown that unsafe sleep is a “modifiable factor” in five per cent of cases reviewed.
To combat this, the forces’ Prevention Hub has been working on a scheme in which all members of Merseyside Police will be trained to recognise potential factors that could increase the risk of a SUDI.
Then, when they’re in a resident’s home – for any reason – and notice something of this nature, they can report this via a new app.
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The new scheme aims to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
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The app itself requires officers to fill in a few simple questions, which are then escalated to the Mersey Care Health Visiting Team.
Their Operational Manager, Lisa Marshall, praised this new method, as she said that although parents may have time to prepare for a scheduled NHS visit, the police “can often be going at a time of crisis, and they will therefore have a true reflection of what’s going on in that home.”
She added that, without this new process, a lot of issues “would have gone unnoticed previously.”
As it stands, this system is unique to Merseyside.
However, PC Craig Walsh from Merseyside Police’s Prevention Hub, believes this may not be the case for much longer.
He said: “We’ve seen in a very short space of time within Merseyside that this can have a very positive impact, so there’s absolutely no reason why it can’t get rolled out further. We’ve already had some enquiries from outside forces.”
If you have been affected by SIDS, or would like any advice, you can visit The Lullaby Trust’s website for support.