14.4 Improving care after pregnancy loss or the death of a baby

In this topical session, taking place during Baby Loss Awareness Week, Marc and Lisa will talk about the importance of high quality bereavement care to families after the death of a baby, highlight the role of the National Bereavement Care Pathway and share how Sands can support healthcare professionals in so doing. Hosted by: Hannah Tizard, Midwife, Midwifery Educator, Professional Midwifery Advocate Contribution from: Marc Harder, Head of Bereavement Care & Hospital Liaison, Sands Lisa Rich, Healthcare Education Lead, Sands Biographies Lisa Rich Lisa is an experienced Registered Midwife with a passion for reducing the risk of perinatal death and improving bereavement care for families experiencing pregnancy and baby loss. Lisa progressed her career into the field of maternity bereavement, working as a Specialist Bereavement Midwife for 5 years. Whilst leading a hospital maternity bereavement service, Lisa implemented the National Bereavement Care Pathway, gained working knowledge of the MBRRACE-UK Perinatal Mortality Review Tool, and created and delivered training and educational resources for healthcare professionals and students. Lisa is responsible for the delivery of education programmes in hospitals, universities, and other related organisations across the UK, supporting professional development, enabling continued improvements in practice and helping save babies’ lives. Marc Harder Marc is the Head of Bereavement Care and Hospital Liaison and has been the UK Lead for the National Bereavement Care Pathway at Sands since March 2017. The NBCP covers five experiences of pregnancy and baby loss: miscarriage, TOPFA, stillbirth, neonatal death and SUDI and has now been adopted by every NHS Hospital trust in England and NHS Boards in Scotland. Projects in Northern Ireland and Wales are about to be launched and will help to realise the vision of high quality bereavement care across the whole of the UK. Marc’s team are also responsible for the Elaine Thorp Award for Bereavement Care which promotes excellence in practice and the Hospital Liaison Volunteer programme which links over 100 Sands volunteers with local hospitals. Supported by MATFLIX: ⁠⁠https://matflix.co.uk⁠⁠ Register to watch the next episode LIVE or attend a Maternity & Midwifery Festival: ⁠⁠https://mmf.eventbrite.com⁠⁠ Watch the live stream: ⁠⁠https://facebook.com/midwiferyforum/live