Care lacking for bereaved parents
A recent survey commissioned by the stillbirth charity Sands has found that more than half of UK maternity units are still lacking a dedicated bereavement support midwife.
It also suggests that nearly half have no specific room on the labour ward for a mother whose baby has died, where she is shielded from the sounds of other newborns.
Seventeen babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth a day in the UK.
The Department of Health said it wants "high quality maternity services everywhere with the right facilities". The midwives' body agreed more needed to be done to care for bereaved parents.
Just under 80 maternity units responded to the Sands' survey, a quarter of the total contacted. The charity said it considered the low response rate indicative of the low priority the issue was given.
Some 52% of those which replied were without a midwife specifically trained in bereavement care. This was not something that was simply "nice to have", the charity said, but a key component of care.
"Good care cannot remove the pain of parents' loss but poor care makes things worse and affects their short and long-term well-being," said report author Judith Schott.
Bereavement midwives may also make it more likely that parents opt for a post-mortem examination, a process which could uncover the reasons for death and contribute to a greater understanding of why some babies who enter the labour process in apparently good health die.
The charity did note that care for bereaved parents had improved in recent years, but said its survey showed care was still patchy and under-resourced.
There are no national standards for the care of parents who have lost a baby, but there is general agreement that a dedicated midwife as well as facilities to accommodate the bereaved are desirable.
Less than half - 45% - of wards had no dedicated room on the labour ward for a mother whose baby has died, where they cannot hear other mothers and babies.
In a small number of units women having a miscarriage were cared for in areas that were unsuitable, such as a medical or general ward or an A&E department.
The survey also uncovered issues around language, with a small proportion regularly using children to translate, potentially causing distress. The charity also reported a lack of information in suitable formats for parents with sight problems or learning disabilities.
Medical negligence lawyer Nicola Gaukroger from Reading based law firm Boyes Turner said: “We act for many parents who, as a result of hospital negligence, have lost their babies, shortly before or after delivery. The loss is devastating and to make matters even worse, we often hear of the insensitive way in which they have been dealt with by staff. Explanations may not be forthcoming, and it is not uncommon for women to have to remain on the maternity ward, next to other mothers and newborns. Anything that can be done to assist parents in the early days of their bereavement, should be welcomed and no doubt will have an impact upon their long- term psychological recovery.“
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