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Information about the MBRRACE-UK surveillance data collection system

  • The new MBRRACE-UK system applies to England, Wales and Scotland; modified arrangements are in place for Northern Ireland.
  • Every Unit should have nominated staff responsible for notifying deaths via the new MBRRACE-UK system. Nominated staff members need to be authorised by senior staff in their Unit by completing the MBRRACE-UK registration form.
  • Maternal deaths can be notified by ringing the Oxford MBRRACE-UK office on 01865 289715 – this arrangement does not apply to any perinatal or infant deaths.
  • Maternal deaths eligible for notification are:
    • All deaths of pregnant women and women up to one year following the end of the pregnancy (regardless of the place and circumstances of the death).
  • Perinatal deaths and infant deaths should be reported via the online data collection system available here: www.mbrrace.ox.ac.uk
  • Deaths eligible for notification from 1st January 2013 onwards are:
    • Late fetal losses – the baby is delivered between 22+0 and 23+6 weeks of pregnancy (or from 400g where an accurate estimate of gestation is not available) showing no signs of life, irrespective of when the death occurred.
    • Stillbirths – the baby is delivered from 24+0 weeks gestation (or from 400g where an accurate estimate of gestation is not available) showing no signs of life.
    • Early neonatal deaths – death of a live born baby (born at 20 weeks gestation of pregnancy or later or 400g where an accurate estimate of gestation is not available) occurring before 7 completed days after birth.
    • Late neonatal deaths – death of a live born baby (born at 20 weeks gestation of pregnancy or later or 400g where an accurate estimate of gestation is not available) occurring between 7 and 28 completed days after birth.
    • Post-neonatal deaths – We are no longer collecting information for post-neonatal deaths because of the difficulty in ensuring complete data collection from the wide variety of places of death for these cases.
    • Note: Terminations of pregnancy: We only collect limited information about terminations of pregnancy that are late fetal losses, stillbirths or neonatal death. Therefore ALL terminations from 22+0 weeks are cases which should be notified plus any terminations of pregnancy from 20+0 weeks which resulted in a live birth ending in neonatal death.

Note: Births showing no signs of life (stillbirths and late fetal losses): All births delivered from 22+0 showing no signs of life are eligible for notification irrespective of when the death occurred. Please ensure that both date of delivery and date of confirmation of death are reported for these cases. Recently there has been considerable discussion about these births by the RCOG and other professional bodies. In an effort to ensure complete data collection in line with the World Health Organisation guidelines and to allow international comparisons, the eligibility criteria for MBRRACE-UK Perinatal Death Surveillance System is based on gestation at delivery irrespective of when the death occurred.

Updated: Tuesday, 29 June 2021 10:22 (v6)