Infant Journal
for neonatal and paediatric healthcare professionals

Sands announces major boost to National Bereavement Care Pathway

Stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands and its partners working on the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP) for pregnancy and baby loss have announced that the pioneering project will be extended to a further 21 sites across England from April. These bring the total number of NHS trusts taking part to 32 – almost tripling the reach of the existing pilot.

The NBCP seeks to improve the overall quality of bereavement care and end the postcode lottery facing parents and families whose baby has died before, during or shortly after birth.

The new sites will be working with the project team to understand the impact of the NBCP and its effectiveness in improving bereavement care for parents. They have been chosen as they are representative of geography, capacity and specialism.

Five experiences of pregnancy or baby loss are included in the pathway including miscarriage, termination of pregnancy for fetal anomaly, stillbirth, neonatal death and the sudden unexpected death of an infant up to 12 months.