Updates
What could you learn from self assessment?
Kate Mulley, Director of Research, Education and Policy at Sands
As the NHS begins to restart planned improvement work whilst continuing to experience constraints, the National Bereavement Care Pathway Self Assessment Tools will help you identify the right starting point for improving your bereavement care.
One year on - compassionate care during Covid
Catherine Macrae, NBCP Scotland Project Lead
Find out what NHS Boards told us when they looked back at providing compassionate care during Covid. There is much that has improved through creative and innovative thinking and yet, given that some measures need to continue, some concerns remain.
How are we managing our improvement project even during a major crisis?
Catherine Macrae, NBCP Scotland Project Lead
Learn how we are managing our improvement project even during a major crisis. Catherine explains the steps we have followed and how our flexible and reflective approach allows us to keep learning about change at the centre of our thinking.
Each woman’s experience and way of coping with loss following miscarriage is unique
Grant P Cumming, member of Scottish Early Pregnancy Network and Project Partner for Ritual Respect
Each woman’s experience and way of coping with loss following miscarriage is unique. Ritual Respect is a collaborative project which uses co-designing to inform ways to support health professionals and empower women to approach wellbeing around miscarriage from a person-centred perspective.
Ensuring everyone has safe space, offering them compassion and reassurance
Jen Coates, Director of Bereavement Support and Volunteering, Sands
& Nicola Welsh, Chief Executive, Held in Our Hearts
The lockdown has exacerbated the crushing loneliness and social isolation that bereaved parents often feel. Support organisations have adapted to ensure everyone has safe space, where they are offered them compassion and reassurance.
Engaging parents in the review of their baby’s death
Charlotte Bevan, Senior Research and Prevention Advisor Sands
Listening to parents’ views through Perinatal Mortality Reviews is an important aspect of bereavement care for every individual parent. The process will help them understand why their baby died, and may shed light on aspects of clinical and emotional care not recorded in the mother’s medical notes.
Being sensitive to every step on the journey
Dr Marjory MacLean, Scottish Early Pregnancy Network
How could we give more thought to the physical journey women and partners experiencing loss make between clinics, units and departments? Are we being sensitive to what it feels like to make every step of that journey?
Even now, we can all put our ‘improvement’ glasses on
Emma Currer, Royal College of Midwives National Officer for Scotland
These are challenging times for everyone and in maternity care especially for parents experiencing pregnancy loss or the death of their baby and the staff caring for them. Even now, we can all put our ‘improvement’ glasses on.
October 2020 update
Clea Harmer, Sands Chief Executive
Since the spring Sands has continued to work collaboratively with other baby loss charities, the Royal Colleges, Scottish Government and bereaved parents. Our 5 early adopter Boards - NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Fife, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Grampian and NHS Lothian - began working with the pathways in March this year.