The National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP) in Scotland has been praised by bereaved families and health professionals caring for bereaved families, who took part in an evaluation of bereavement care in Scotland.
A report published today shows that bereavement care improved following the introduction of the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP) in Scotland.
The NBCP in Scotland is led by Sands in collaboration with a number of other charities and professional organisations. It is funded by Scottish Government as part of The Best Start: a five-year plan for maternity and neonatal care. The project provides dedicated, evidence-based care pathways designed for all healthcare professionals and staff involved in the care of women, partners and families at all stages of pregnancy and baby loss.
“The loss of a baby, no matter what stage of pregnancy, is a traumatic event that can have a profound impact on families. Women and families who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss must be provided with the right care and support tailored to their needs.
“The Scottish Government funded Sands to develop and deliver the National Bereavement Care Pathways in all 14 NHS Boards, to ensure that families who experience baby loss receive high quality and compassionate care. The evaluation report shows that the pathways are making a real difference to women and families receiving bereavement care and to the health professional caring for those families.”
- Jenni Minto, the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health.
The evaluation report shows that 89% of parents felt they were communicated with sensitively, and 84% agreed the hospital was a caring and supportive environment. However, two key areas that parents said they would like to see improvements in included, more consistent bereavement care in hospital, and more continuity of care after leaving hospital.
“Everyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby deserves high quality bereavement care and support. This evaluation of the NBCP in Scotland evidences how, with national implementation and investment such as that from the Scottish Government, we can improve bereavement care.
“These results are incredibly encouraging and work continues to embed the NBCP across all NHS Boards to improve the quality and consistency of bereavement care provided. We look forward to sharing learnings with other UK nations and continuing to build on the success we’ve seen in Scotland.”
- Clea Harmer, Sands’ Chief Executive.
Parents talk about their experience of bereavement care
The compassion and respect shown by staff, the time and information parents receive to make informed decisions, and the opportunities parents have to create memories of their babies were all strong influences on the parents’ overall impression of the care they received in hospital. Most parents report these aspects of care are delivered well.
“The care from the midwife throughout the whole process was amazing. She was very supportive and sympathetic throughout the whole experience. She made my husband feel comfortable throughout the whole experience and made us feel welcome in the lovely room we had for the period we were in hospital. Nothing was a bother and if there was anything we needed she was there for us.”
- Yvette, who experienced an early pregnancy loss.
Health professionals in Scotland report improvements to bereavement care
All 14 NHS Boards in Scotland are signed up to the NBCP as part of the Scottish Government Best Start Programme. Included in this evaluation, to measure the impact and effectiveness of the NBCP, were 569 health professionals from the nine NHS Boards who signed up in the first two waves of enrolment.
The NBCP in Scotland evaluation found that 82% of health professionals who were aware of changes brought about by the NBCP felt that bereavement care had improved, and 61% agreed that the consistency of bereavement care had improved since its introduction in their Board.
The introduction of dedicated staff with responsibility for bereavement care was mentioned by many healthcare staff in the follow-up survey as one of the improvements they’d seen since the NBCP was introduced in their Board.
“Families have a bereavement lead who they have access to and regular contact with for as long as they require it. Staff have support from the bereavement lead which has helped me to feel more confident in the role I have in caring for families.”
- A hospital-based midwife with over 10 years’ experience.
Health professionals noted that continued delivery of the NBCP in areas such as bereavement care training, dedicated staff, better facilities and communication between departments will bring further improvements.
“This evaluation tells us parents who experienced bereavement care after the NBCP was introduced in their NHS Board overwhelmingly agree that the hospital was a caring and supportive environment and that they were treated with respect, communicated with sensitively, and offered ongoing emotional support after they left hospital.
“The majority of professionals surveyed agree that bereavement care has improved and become more consistent in their NHS Board since the introduction of the NBCP. This is due to the appointment of dedicated bereavement care staff, increased staff training and more collaborative working across departments. As a result, staff feel more skilled and supported to deliver good quality bereavement care.
“Work continues to ensure that the NBCP is embedded in the care provided to everyone who experiences pregnancy loss or the death of a baby.”
- Marc Harder, Sands’ Head of Bereavement Care.
Support for you
Sands is here to support all bereaved families in Scotland and across the UK. We provide support through our Freephone helpline, online community and resources, and locally through a network of regional support groups run by trained befrienders, including 11 support groups across Scotland, all offering in-person peer support.