Provide funding for an equipped bereavement suite in all mat wards. Provide ring-fenced funding to implement these suites as a priority. Fund maternity staff training in bereavement care & compassionate support and the use of facilities like CuddleCots.
Parents who endure such heartbreak often find themselves in maternity wards adjacent to rooms where healthy babies are being born. The sounds of newborns crying and families celebrating can be an excruciating reminder of their loss, compounding the trauma of baby loss. By taking these actions, we think the Government will ensure that bereaved parents have a safe haven in the hospital – a quiet, soundproof refuge where they can spend time with their baby and begin to grieve in peace.