Early in the New Year, Sands will be launching the Sands post mortem consent package developed to provide information and guidance about post mortems for health professionals seeking consent, and for bereaved parents whose baby has died before, during or shortly after birth.

The package, approved by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) includes; a new Post mortem consent form, a Guide for consent takers, and a support booklet for parents: Deciding about a post mortem: Information for parents.

This new package has been developed over a 2 year period, in close consultation with health professionals and bereaved parents across the United Kingdom, to make it easier for health professionals and parents to discuss a post mortem.

"When you have a baby who dies it seems that there’s nothing positive, and you just have to try to find something that might be positive. For us, it was that we got an answer about why, but also, knowing that somebody else may gain from that."  Bereaved mum.



Sands also hopes that, by increasing the perinatal post mortem rate, which is currently low in the UK, this package will provide information that could help reduce the numbers of late miscarriages, stillbirths and neonatal deaths in the future.

More information will follow in our next e-newsletter.