Written question WQ96969
- Asked by
- Siân GwenllianPlaid
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 7 days
Question
How does the Welsh Government ensure that grieving parents and who need specialist psychological support following pregnancy or losing a baby can access this support, at any time, free of charge through the NHS?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
The loss of a baby during pregnancy or shortly after birth is a deeply traumatic experience. Bereavement care has been embedded into national maternity and neonatal policy, ensuring that parents can access the support they need at any time, free of charge, through a compassionate, structured, and well-funded system.
In collaboration with third-sector organisations such as SANDS, the pregnancy and baby loss charity and Child Bereavement UK, psychological and bereavement support is available through NHS Wales. Services include counselling, peer support, and specialist psychological interventions, all accessible at no cost to families.
The National Framework for Bereavement Care ensures consistent, high-quality support across Wales. Backed by £1.4 million in funding to health boards and third-sector partners, it emphasises early intervention, integration across health and social care, and robust monitoring to ensure equity and quality.
Furthermore, the Maternity and Neonatal Network, part of NHS Wales Performance and Improvement, has been working with SANDS, to support work on the five bereavement pathways. Work has focussed on miscarriage, termination of pregnancy for foetal anomaly, stillbirth, neonatal death and sudden unexpected death in infancy. The pathways are scheduled to be published in the Autumn.