Last week Sands invited two MPs to learn more about what good bereavement care looks like, and how the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester is an example of good practice, which is still not the case in all NHS trusts across the UK.

Eastleigh MP, Paul Holmes, met with Sands earlier this year and expressed an interest in learning more about bereavement care. Winchester MP, Steve Brine is interested in bereavement care due to his role as Chair of the Health & Social Care Select Committee.

The Royal County is a hospital that is championing the National Bereavement Care Pathway, an initiative led by Sands that aims to improve equity in bereavement care, so parents do not face a postcode lottery in the standard of  care they receive after experiencing pregnancy or baby loss.

Sands is calling for all NHS trusts in to be given the resources and support they need to implement the National Bereavement Care Pathway.

The bereavement team led by Laura Mackie, Lead Bereavement Midwife, showed the MPs the Butterfly Suite, the bereavement room at the trust. It is important for families to have a safe, protected space to spend time and make memories with their baby.

The group also discussed the importance of wrap-around care, including supporting mothers and families in the event they go on to have further pregnancies, and ensuring that listening to parents and their concerns should be a top priority in all NHS trusts.

Why good bereavement care matters

Health care professionals can have a positive influence on how families experience their care when a baby dies.  No level of care can take away the pain families feel but high quality care can help families process their grief and begin to learn to live without their much-loved baby.

Steve Brine and Paul Holmes were also pleased to have an opportunity to meet two Sands volunteers.

Emily Veall lost her son Joshua in 2016 and now runs a Befriender Clinic in the Trust.

"I was glad to be part of the MPs' visit to the Royal County Hospital because I am passionate about helping to improve bereavement care. I know how important it is for bereaved parents to be listened to and treated with compassion; the simplest things like using the baby's name and expressing understanding for the enormity of what has happened, saying “I’m sorry”.

"My beautiful little boy Joshua was stillborn at 42 weeks in 2016 and Sands was a vital source of support for me and my partner. I've since trained as a Sands Befriender and I have built connections in the baby loss community, the medical community and beyond. I now get to use Joshua’s story to help others."

- Emily Veall, Befriender with Farnborough Sands

Stephen Kelly, a bereaved dad who recently set up Sands United Basingstoke, talked about the importance of a safe space for dads to discuss their losses and feel as though they are heard.

"When their baby has died dads can sometimes feel forgotten or overlooked by health professionals so bereavement care training is vital so it is not a postcode lottery for parents in what standard of care they receive. It was good to join the visit to the Royal County Hospital and hear about how Sands is working with them and other NHS trusts to follow the standards laid out by the National Bereavement Care Pathway.

"I recently set up Sands United Basingstoke so I was also able to talk about the importance of a safe space for dads to discuss their losses and feel as though they are heard. These types of peer support groups are crucial to parents and families as they grow around their grief."

- Stephen Kelly, founder of Sands United FC Basingstoke

More about the National Bereavement Care Pathway

The National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP), seeks to improve the quality and consistency of bereavement care received by parents from the NHS after pregnancy or baby loss.

Sands leads the NBCP in collaboration with bereaved families, other charities and Royal Colleges, which provides health care professionals with frameworks, tools and educational resources to support excellent care.

The NBCP is based around nine standards of bereavement care and includes pathways for miscarriage, termination of pregnancy for foetal anomaly, stillbirth, neonatal death and sudden unexpected death of an infant up to 12 months.

For more information, including access to resources and tools, visit www.nbcpathway.org.uk