NHS bereavement care for parents whose baby dies shortly after they are born is worryingly inconsistent and under-resourced, according to a report published today by Sands, Stillbirth and neonatal death charity, and Bliss, for babies born premature and sick.

The joint Audit of Bereavement Care Provision in UK Neonatal Units (2018) reveals that most services lack sufficient specialist staffing input and appropriate facilities to support grieving families.

The report finds that despite instances of good practice by individual nurses and doctors across the country, many services are not set up to deliver consistent high quality bereavement care and health professionals are not getting the training and support they need to perform this vital role.