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.

We are working with a number of key partners to help deliver the NBCP. There are 13 organisations on our Core Group (Project Board):

• Charities: Sands; ARC (Antenatal Results & Choices); Bliss; Lullaby Trust; Miscarriage Association.
• Professional bodies: Institute of Health Visiting; NHS England; Neonatal Nurses Association; Royal College of Midwives; Royal College of Nurses; Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists and Royal College of General Practitioners.
• Other Partners: A representative of the UK health research community based at UCL.

We have made excellent progress over the first two years but there is much more to do.

Since we initiated the project in 2017 we have:

• led a pilot of 32 sites across England (11 in Wave 1 from October 2017 and 21 in Wave 2 from April 2018)
• created pathway guidance for professionals on each of the five experiences of pregnancy or baby loss, revised based on their feedback during waves 1 and 2;
• published three evaluations of the project (two for the wave 1 sites and one for the wave 2 programme)
• created a toolkit for professionals containing training material, posters and flyers;
• engaged with well over 400 professionals and 60 parents;
• established a Parent Advisory Group;
• launched the NBCP website;
• launched the project in Scotland and Northern Ireland
• initiated the England roll-out plan
• published a progress report showing the positive impact for parents and professionals

An independent evaluation concluded that the NBCP is having a positive impact.

The plan for the coming year is to improve access to our educational resources and to embed the NBCP so that health care professionals across the UK are equipped and able to provide excellent bereavement care.

The NBCP in Scotland provides dedicated pathways that are designed for all healthcare professionals and staff who are involved in the care of women, partners and families at all stages of pregnancy and baby loss.

For further information, visit the new NBCP Scotland website or read more here

Sands is supporting the National Strategic Clinical Network for Maternity and Neonatal Services to create tailored bereavement care pathways for those who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss in Wales.   

For more information, contact Chloe.lazenby@sands.org.uk.

For more information on the NBCP in England, including access to resources and tools please visit nbcpathway.org.uk.

Join us at our monthly drop-in sessions as we explore how the NBCP guidance can be implemented in practice.

These sessions provide you with a chance to hear about the latest research and guidance from healthcare professionals and third sector organisations, share challenges and learning, and to network with peers from across NHS Trusts and Boards from across the UK. 

All professionals involved in improving care for bereaved families experiencing pregnancy loss or the death of a baby are welcome.

Join us from 12pm to 1pm on the following dates:

28 January: Memory Making

25 February: Bereavement care in the community and system to signal loss

25 March: Making the case: key strategies for securing funding and support for bereavement care