Study finds National Bereavement Care Pathway helps improve care received by parents

The results of an independent study into the recently launched National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP) have highlighted improvements in the way families experience bereavement care.

More than 1,000 healthcare professionals and 63 parents participated in the research which found that bereaved parents experienced high levels of satisfaction with the bereavement care they received after the loss of their baby.

Results showed that:

84% of parents felt the hospital was a caring and supportive environment

92% of parents agreed they were treated with respect

89% of parents felt the decisions they made in the hospital were the right ones at the time

92% of health professionals felt prepared to communicate with bereaved parents and 79% felt supported in delivering good quality bereavement care.

Jenny Ward, acting CEO of charity The Lullaby Trust, says: "We are delighted to see the positive outcomes of the evaluation. It proves just how vitally important proper care is in the journey of bereaved parents. We hope that this encourages other areas to provide a consistent level of support to families going through the trauma of a child death."

Further information regarding the NBCP, how to register with the pathway and other details can be found here.