Sadly, 15 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day in UK and during December alone, over 450 babies will die and not go home for Christmas. The effects on the whole family as well as friends, colleagues and health care staff are far reaching and in so many cases life-long. The quality of care that bereaved families receive when their baby dies has a huge impact on their long-term wellbeing. Good care cannot remove parents’ pain, but poor care can and does make things much worse

Sands provides vital bereavement support services to bereaved families and works with healthcare professionals, such as midwives and doctors to improve the quality of bereavement care received in hospitals. Many parents and families tell us that it was the support that they received from Sands after the death of their baby that made the biggest difference to their ability to cope with both the initial devastation, but then also in the longer term.