Launch of the National Bereavement Care Pathway.

 A core group of charities and professional bodies are leading the development of a National Bereavement Care Pathway for pregnancy and baby loss.

Kicking off Baby Loss Awareness Week 2017, which focuses on the theme of better bereavement care for parents, Sands launched the NBCP pilot yesterday. 11 sites in England, representative of geography, capacity and specialism, have been selected to trial the use of new materials, guidelines and training for professionals to help improve the care bereaved parents receive. The 11 sites will work with the NBCP project team to understand the impact and the effectiveness of the pathway on improving bereavement care for parents.

The NBCP has the support of the Department of Health and has been developed to improve bereavement care for parents and families at all stages of pregnancy and baby loss up to 12 months.

This is a huge step forwards in addressing the postcode lottery of bereavement care for parents in the UK. Every family is entitled to and must receive outstanding care following the loss of their baby or young child.

The 11 sites are:
- Wirral University Teaching Hospital
- Liverpool Women’s Hospital Trust
- York Teaching Hospital NHS Trust
- Hull & East Yorkshire NHS Trust
- Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
- Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
- Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (Barnstaple Hospital)
- Medway (Maritime) NHS Foundation Trust
- West Middlesex, Chelsea & Westminster
- Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Trust - Queens Hospital, Romford
- Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust

The National Bereavement Care Pathway Core Group consists of:
- Sands (Stillbirth and neonatal death charity)
- Bliss
- The Lullaby Trust
- The Miscarriage Association
- ARC (Antenatal Results & Choices)
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- Royal College of Midwives
- Royal College of Nursing
- Neonatal Nurses Association
- Institute of Health Visiting
- NHS England
- Representative of the UK health research community