To ask the Minister of Health to outline the support services available for bereaved parents; and the amount of money spent providing such services, in each of the last five years.

A wide range of support services for bereaved parents are available across each Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust and delivered in partnership between clinicians, bereavement coordinators and the community and voluntary sector.

In cases of pregnancy loss, stillbirth or early neonatal death, all Trusts in Northern Ireland have a bereavement midwife who provides support and guidance for bereaved women, partners and their families and ensures that parents receive care that is clinically skilled, emotionally intelligent, consistent and authentically caring. The midwife also works to ensure that all staff within the relevant health settings are educated, supported and enabled to provide sensitive, safe, effective, compassionate, kind and respectful care for families who experience such a loss.

Each Trust has also had a Trust Bereavement Coordinator in place since 2006, when the HSC Bereavement Network was established to provide information, guidance and resources for those who care for and support people around the time of death and bereavement, as well as a Bereavement Forum which meets regularly with a wide membership comprising staff and service users.

The Network was expanded in April 2021 to become the Northern Ireland Bereavement Network, comprising representation from across Departmental and community organisations and agencies, including two representatives from each HSC Trust, as well as third sector organisations such as SANDS, Cruse, NI Children’s Hospice and NICVA. While the new Network’s website is under development, information on bereavement support is available on individual Trust websites, providing guidance and support on a range of issues and contact information for a number of organisations which specialise in supporting bereaved parents.

Due to the wide range of bereavement support services available across healthcare specialties, professions and settings, it would not be possible to provide a cost breakdown in the format requested without incurring disproportionate costs.