A new bereavement suite is to be built at the South West Acute Hospital in order to help families grieving from the loss of a baby.
Sands, the UK’s leading baby loss charity, has partnered with the Western Health and Social Care Trust to create the new suite at the Enniskillen hospital.
The suite is the latest to be installed across hospitals in Northern Ireland, with several local families whose babies have sadly died before or after childbirth hosting fundraisers to contribute to the new suite.
READ MORE: Mum of baby who lived for four hours opens up about 'devastating blow'
Brenda McCabe, Lead Midwife for South West Acute and Omagh Hospitals, said losing baby causes ‘untold heartbreak’ and that staff at the hospital are committed to providing the best care for bereaved families.
“Staff at the South West Acute Hospital are committed to providing the best possible care for families who have experienced the loss of a baby,” Brenda said.
“The new Bereavement Suite is part of our ongoing efforts to improve bereavement care services. Losing a baby, at any gestation, is surrounded with untold heartbreak and can be a very distressing experience.
“The kind of care that women and her partner receive from their hospital and the multi-disciplinary team including medical, nursing and midwifery staff can make a real difference to how they cope with their experience of pregnancy loss.”
The project is part of a larger Sands N.I project to ensure that a dedicated Bereavement Suite is available in every maternity hospital in NI.
“Since 2017, Sands N.I have been working with hospitals in the Belfast, Southern and Western Trusts, with three projects, Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital, Daisy Hill & Altnagelvin already completed and the Craigavon suite project in the final stages,” said Sands Coordinator Steven Guy.
“The South West Acute Hospital Bereavement Suite project will mean that both maternity hospitals in the Western Trust will have a dedicated Bereavement Suite.”
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