Reviewed on : 1 Jun 2021

Reviewed by : Gateway Editor

Expires : 1 Jun 2023

What is the National Bereavement Care Pathway?

The National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP) helps healthcare professionals to provide bereavement support after any pregnancy or baby loss.

This tool kit has been developed to enable healthcare professionals (GPs, Practice nurses, HCAs, Receptionists/Secretaries) to use and deliver the pathway effectively in the primary care setting.

It is comprised of five pathways:

• Miscarriage
• Termination of Pregnancy for Fetal Anomaly (ToPFA)
• Stillbirth
• Neonatal Death (less than 6-8 weeks)
• Neonatal Death (more than 8 weeks)
• Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI)

Click links above to link to GP Toolkit letters

 Why was the NBCP created?

“The death of a baby is one of the most devastating experiences any parent will face, and many families will struggle”

What does the NBCP aim to do?

• To ensure that all bereaved parents are offered high quality, individualised, safe and sensitive care wherever they access it.
• To provide the knowledge and skills that healthcare professionals require to confidently deliver bereavement care.
• SANDS is leading the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP) project in collaboration with other charities and with the support of the Department of Health and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Baby Loss.

Pregnancy loss and the death of a baby is not a rare occurrence. 

The quality of care that bereaved families receive when their baby dies can have long-lasting effects. Good care cannot remove parents’ pain and grief, but it can help parents through this devastating time. Poor care can and does make things much worse.

The bereavement care received by parents varies hugely regionally. All bereaved parents should be offered the same high standard of parent-centered, empathic and safe care when a baby dies.

Objectives

The Objective of the project is to ensure that all bereaved parents are offered equal, high quality, individualised, safe and sensitive care in any experience of pregnancy or baby loss, be that miscarriage, Termination of Pregnancy for Fetal Anomaly, Stillbirth, Neonatal Death, or Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy up to 12 months..

Useful Contact Numbers

UHCW Contact :Sam Collinge Maternity Bereavement Service Manager  sam.collinge@uhcw.nhs.uk

Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society – SANDS: Local Helpline 07896 500237 email:coventryanddistrctsands@outlook.com

Miscarriage Association: 01924200799 OR  info@miscarriageassociation.org.uk OR www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk

The Laura Centre: Support for loss following miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy Counselling for parents following the loss of a baby/ child (self-referral) Tel 02476550300

Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC): Supporting you to make difficult decisions following antenatal screening http://www.arc-uk.org

TAMBA Bereavement Support Group: For families suffering pregnancy loss in a multiple pregnancy 08001380509 Email: support-team@tamba.org.uk  or http://www.tamba.org.uk/bereavement

Monthly Miscarriage Support Group: 3^rd Thursday of the Month, 10am-12pm in the Faith Centre, Ground Floor, University Hospital Coventry – all welcome

Child Bereavement UK: provide a new free counselling service in Rugby (funded by local charity Freddies Wish). Rugby and Coventry families may access this service. Follow link or click on right