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<p>The National Health Service locally should ensure that appropriate facilities and
services are in place to support bereaved parents following the death of a baby. In
line with the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Standards of proficiency for pre-registration
midwifery education, all midwives should be proficient in providing care for women
who have suffered pregnancy loss, stillbirth or neonatal death. Health Education England
has agreed to work with partners to ensure that pre and post registration training
in perinatal mental health is available to enable specialist staff to be available
to every birthing unit by 2017.</p><p>To assist NHS commissioners and providers, the
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Standards for Gynaecology and Standards
for Maternity sets out clear standards for the level of care provided to help women
and their partners experiencing pregnancy loss, including the availability of skilled
staff to support parents following a stillbirth or miscarriage. A number of trusts
now employ specialist bereavement midwives to provide this support.</p><p>To further
assist NHS maternity services, NHS Improving Quality published ‘A review of support
available for loss in early and late pregnancy’ in February 2014, which highlights
areas of good practice and additional sources of support, such as the stillbirth and
neonatal death charity, Sands.</p><p>Local NHS maternity care providers are responsible
for ensuring parents receive appropriate information on bereavement support and services
following the death of a baby. To complement information provided locally, information
on support for parents after a stillbirth is available on the NHS Choices website
at:</p><p>www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Stillbirth/Pages/Getting-help.aspx</p>
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