Better care needed for bereaved parents

Monday July 12th, 2010

NHS care for parents who have a stillborn baby is poorly resourced and "patchy", campaigners said today.

The allegations come after a survey was carried out by the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, Sands, in May 2009. It was issued to 312 maternity units in the UK, of which 77 responded.

More than 6,500 families are affected every year. Sands says that good bereavement support should form an integral part of each maternity care package, as it can improve parents' long-term wellbeing.

Results showed that care has improved over the last few decades, but it is still poorly resourced and organised in 20 per cent of units.

Over half (52 per cent) of units had no designated bereavement support midwife, and nearly half of units (45 per cent) had no dedicated room on the labour ward for bereaved parents. Only 32 per cent of units include bereavement care in regular training sessions.

The researchers say that adequate resources and systems must be in place. Almost all of the changes necessary "must be initiated by managers or requested by service commissioners", they add.

Judith Schott of Sands said: "Good care cannot remove the pain of parents' loss but poor care makes things worse. It is essential that midwives and other health professionals have the necessary training and resources to provide the highest levels of care."

Commenting on the survey, Gail Johnson of the Royal College of Midwives said: "It is encouraging to see that there have been improvements in the services for bereaved parents.

"Where the care is supportive and appropriate the parents say that they feel better able to begin to come to terms with their loss. Poor support can leave the bereaved parents feeling even more isolated and distressed."

Tags: Child Health | Childbirth and Pregnancy | Nursing & Midwifery | UK News

Printer friendly page