Case Study: Hull City Council achieves 35% reduction in teenage pregnancies with Ordnance Survey digital mapping

Hull City Council - Customer Case Study

Kingston upon Hull City Council faced one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the country—84 per 1,000 conceptions in 1998—with high repeat pregnancies and widespread deprivation across wards. To target services more effectively the council and Hull PCT used Ordnance Survey digital mapping (Code-Point® with Polygons and 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster via the PSMA) to break conception data down to postcode and ward level and to visually reveal hotspots and unofficial local boundaries.

Ordnance Survey maps underpinned a data-driven “hub-and-spoke” model and outreach programme—anonymous city-centre drop-ins, contraception outreach nurses visiting schools, youth centres and homes, male-focused street outreach, and postnatal visits within four weeks—to remove access and confidentiality barriers. The approach contributed to a 35% fall in under-18 conception rates in Hull (vs 24% nationally), repeat conceptions falling to 8.9% (vs 20% nationally), reductions in five of six target schools, and estimated savings of more than £8 million; Ordnance Survey mapping also improved partnership working and helped communicate impact to decision-makers.

Hull City Council

Gail Teasdale

Integrated Services Manager