Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Good Grief Trust's proposal of developing a national bereavement standard.

Bereavement support is commissioned locally, in accordance with the needs of the local population. NHS England has developed guidance to support integrated care boards to fulfil their duty to commission palliative care services within integrated care systems. This statutory guidance states that commissioners should ensure that there is sufficient access to bereavement services.

Following publication of the UK Commission on Bereavement's report 'Bereavement is Everyone's business', the Department established a cross-Government bereavement working group, to ensure better collaborative working across Government departments.

This group, which includes representatives from over ten Government departments, is a forum to share best practice about bereavement support. The group continues to consider options for improving support and services for all bereaved people.