Biomaterial Database

National Children's Hospitals Bereavement Network standards for supporting families following the death of a child. 2020

Francis Edwards

Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, England.

In England, a child death review process must be undertaken when a child dies, regardless of the cause of death. Scotland and Wales have their own version of the child death review process, while it is the author's understanding that Northern Ireland are still developing their process. An important aspect of this process is family engagement and bereavement support. This article is an introduction to the bereavement support standards developed by the National Children's Hospitals Bereavement Network, a newly formed group of specialist children's nurses and allied health professionals interested in bereavement care. These standards translate the statutory requirements into practical guidance for healthcare professionals working in children's hospitals in the UK or district general hospitals that offer services for children and families. They also apply to NHS trusts that care for children and need to develop a local policy and workforce with the appropriate skills to provide bereavement care, thereby improving the experiences of families and healthcare professionals. The standards would also be applicable to other NHS trusts and healthcare services in the UK who want to develop an approach to bereavement care and support for families.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D006113	United Kingdom	Country in northwestern Europe including Great Britain and the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland, located between the North Sea and north Atlantic Ocean. The capital is London.	Great Britain,Isle of Man
D006776	Hospitals, Pediatric	Special hospitals which provide care for ill children.	Pediatric Hospitals,Hospital, Pediatric,Pediatric Hospital
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000067576	Child Health	The concept covering the physical and mental conditions of CHILDREN.	Child Wellbeing,Child Well Being,Child Well-Being,Children's Health,Childrens Health,Health, Child,Health, Children's,Health, Childrens,Well Being, Child,Well-Being, Child,Wellbeing, Child
D000223	Adaptation, Psychological	A state of harmony between internal needs and external demands and the processes used in achieving this condition. (From APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 8th ed).	Behavior, Adaptive,Healthy Adaptation,Positive Adaptation,Psychological Recovery,Adaptation, Psychologic,Adjustment,Psychological Adaptation,Adaptation, Healthy,Adaptation, Positive,Adaptive Behavior,Adaptive Behaviors,Healthy Adaptations,Positive Adaptations,Psychologic Adaptation,Psychological Recoveries,Recovery, Psychological
D001293	Attitude to Death	Conceptual response of the person to the various aspects of death, which are based on individual psychosocial and cultural experience.	Attitudes to Death,Death, Attitude to,Death, Attitudes to
D012944	Social Support	Support systems that provide assistance and encouragement to individuals with physical or emotional disabilities in order that they may better cope. Informal social support is usually provided by friends, relatives, or peers, while formal assistance such as COMMUNITY SUPPORT is provided by churches, groups, etc.	Perceived Social Support,Social Care,Online Social Support,Care, Social,Online Social Supports,Perceived Social Supports,Social Support, Online,Social Support, Perceived,Social Supports, Online,Social Supports, Perceived,Support, Online Social,Support, Perceived Social,Support, Social,Supports, Perceived Social
D017051	Hospice Care	Specialized health care, supportive in nature, provided to a dying person. A holistic approach is often taken, providing patients and their families with legal, financial, emotional, or spiritual counseling in addition to meeting patients' immediate physical needs. Care may be provided in the home, in the hospital, in specialized facilities (HOSPICES), or in specially designated areas of long-term care facilities. The concept also includes bereavement care for the family. (From Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed)	Bereavement Care,Hospice Programs,Care, Bereavement,Care, Hospice,Hospice Program,Program, Hospice,Programs, Hospice
D059039	Standard of Care	The minimum acceptable patient care, based on statutes, court decisions, policies, or professional guidelines.	Standards of Care,Care Standard,Care Standards