What mechanisms will the Welsh Government use to engage and include the voice of parents who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss in the development of the national bereavement care pathway for pregnancy and baby loss in Wales from September 2025?
The Welsh Government is committed to ensuring families who experience the loss of a baby receive the best possible care and support. Our Bereavement Framework provides guidance to ensure clarity about the type and standard of support we expect for all bereaved people in Wales.
The Welsh Government has supported the Maternity and Neonatal Network, which is part of NHS Wales Performance and Improvement, to work with SANDS to develop bereavement pathways. This focuses on five key pathways – miscarriage, termination of pregnancy for foetal anomaly, stillbirth, neonatal death, and sudden unexpected death in infancy. These have been shaped by feedback from parents and healthcare professionals.
We are funding SANDS until March 2026 to maintain the Parent Advisory Group to continue providing input and advice about the implementation of the bereavement pathways. Experience-based insights will be captured through the perinatal engagement tools developed by Civica.