Support for loss through pregnancy, loss and baby death.
Bereavement Care Pathway
Welcome to the National Bereavement Care Pathway training programme.
This programme has been written to share the elements of good bereavement care.
It has been developed by a collaboration of charities, professional organisations and people with first-hand experience to improve bereavement care and reduce variability in care after:
- Miscarriage, which is pregnancy loss or the death of an unborn baby before 24 weeks of pregnancy
- Ectopic pregnancy, when the pregnancy develops outside of the uterus
- Molar pregnancy, when an abnormal fertilised egg implants in the uterus – the placental tissue develops even though the egg doesn’t
- Termination of pregnancy after a prenatal diagnosis
- Stillbirth, when a baby dies before or during birth at or after 24 weeks of pregnancy
- Neonatal death, when a baby dies within 28 days of birth
- Sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI), when a baby or toddler under 1 year (24 months in Scotland) dies suddenly and unexpectedly
The elearning programmes will be reviewed at least twice a year and we welcome your feedback.
The programme is divided into two courses:
Bereavement Care after Pregnancy Loss or Baby Death - Learning for All
National Bereavement Care Pathway training sessions have been designed to provide support when talking to bereaved individuals. It offers suggestions and guidance about what to say and do. It is suitable for anyone who might come into contact, in their work or home life, with a person bereaved through pregnancy loss or baby death. This course is available to everyone and currently includes a single session called Introduction to Bereavement Care
Bereavement Care after Pregnancy Loss or Baby Death - Healthcare Professionals
A follow-on from Introduction to Bereavement Care, this course is for healthcare professionals caring for newly bereaved individuals. Working through the themes of the National Bereavement Care Pathway, the course helps healthcare professionals understand the important elements of excellent bereavement care; it covers delivering bad news, memory making, post mortem and histology, ceremonies and services, discharge, aftercare, feedback and review. This course currently includes a single session called Principles of Bereavement Care
National Bereavement Care Pathway - elearning for healthcare