Sands Launches National Bereavement Care Pathway In NI

Sands, the UK's leading pregnancy and baby loss charity, has announced the launch of a National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP) in Northern Ireland. This initiative aims to improve the quality of care provided to parents who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss.

Funded by the Public Health Agency (PHA), the NBCP will help to reduce inequalities and ensure that parents receive consistent, compassionate support throughout their bereavement journey. The pathway will provide healthcare professionals with the necessary resources, training, and guidance to deliver high-quality care.

Good quality bereavement care is essential for parents who have suffered the loss of a pregnancy or baby, Sands said. This project will ensure that parents are treated with dignity and respect, have opportunities to make memories with their baby, and receive the support they need during this difficult time.

The NBCP will provide parents with access to a range of services, including counselling, support groups, and information resources. Healthcare professionals will also benefit from training and education on how to provide sensitive and compassionate care to bereaved parents.

Heather Reid, Interim Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals at the PHA, said: "We are delighted in partnership with Sands, to announce the appointment of the NBCP Project Manager for Northern Ireland, Melissa Crockett.

"Melissa will work closely with the PHA's clinical lead for this area and together they will manage the development, delivery and review of the NBCP and embed its nine standards across Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland to help improve standards of bereavement care.

"The NBCP currently operates within England and Scotland and the PHA recognised a gap in the provision of the Pathway within Northern Ireland.

"Ultimately we hope this will ensure there is quality and consistency of bereavement care received by parents who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss across each of the five local Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland."

Mike Nesbitt MLA, Minister of Health, said: "I am pleased to have the opportunity to welcome Melissa Crockett into her role of NBCP Project Manager, funded by the PHA. "This is a very positive development for the provision of bereavement care for parents and families in Northern Ireland. When the Pathway is fully established and implemented, it will provide vital support and advice to our health professionals working in this important area of health care.

"I look forward to hearing about the progress of the NBCP and its integration across the Health and Social Care system in Northern Ireland."

Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands, said: "Everyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby deserves high quality bereavement care and support.

We know that no level of care can remove the grief that many parents will feel after pregnancy loss or the death of a baby, but good care can make this devastating experience feel more manageable. We also know that poor quality or insensitively delivered care can compound and exacerbate pain.

"This launch follows a huge amount of hard work together with our partner organisations. We are looking forward to working with bereaved parents, families and healthcare professionals to ensure the pathway is based on evidence and experience.

"We hope that through introducing a tailored National Bereavement Care Pathway in Northern Ireland, we can make sure everyone affected by pregnancy or baby loss gets the care that they need."

Melissa Crockett, National Bereavement Care Pathway Manager for Northern Ireland, said: "Parent feedback has highlighted gaps in care and inconsistencies in the care received from hospital to hospital. We hope to give local bereaved families the opportunity to be heard and feed into the development of evidence-based Northern Ireland-specific bereavement care pathways, to make sure bereavement care is inclusive of everyone's individual needs and circumstances.

"We are grateful to the PHA for their support and funding of this project and look forward to collaborating with them and other stakeholders to improve support for bereaved families across Northern Ireland."



L-R – Heather Reid, Interim Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals at the PHA

Melissa Crockett, National Bereavement Care Pathway Manager for Northern Ireland

Minister of Health Mike Nesbitt, Catherine Keown, Chief Midwifery Officer, Department of Health Northern Ireland.