Losing a child is devastating, and no one deserves to experience such losses alone. I know that my hon. Friend is a keen supporter of the charity Love, Jasmine in her constituency, which provides vital support to families who have suffered child loss. We are making sure that local NHS services provide easily accessible bereavement support, and local integrated care boards should make sure that service provision is tailored directly to the needs of grieving families in their communities.

Losing a child is devastating, and no one deserves to experience such losses alone. I know that my hon. Friend is a keen supporter of the charity Love, Jasmine in her constituency, which provides vital support to families who have suffered child loss. We are making sure that local NHS services provide easily accessible bereavement support, and local integrated care boards should make sure that service provision is tailored directly to the needs of grieving families in their communities.

The death of a child seems to violate the natural order of things, leaving parents shocked, grieving and in unimaginable pain. The charity Love, Jasmine in my constituency was founded by Rob and Kathy Lapsley in 2016 after the death of their daughter Jasmine to support other bereaved parents on Merseyside through counselling, support groups, advocacy and practical advice.

Since then, it has helped over 900 families and received a constant stream of NHS referrals but without any commissioned NHS funding. It now faces a funding crisis after the loss of its National Lottery funding due to new criteria, which has left it operating a limited service and under threat of closure, while families face longer waiting times for support elsewhere that is less designed to their needs. Will the Government consider carefully the strong case for NHS commissioned funding for the kind of specialist support for bereaved parents that Love, Jasmine offers, so that this service—so trusted by the NHS across the north-west—is not lost?

The death of a child seems to violate the natural order of things, leaving parents shocked, grieving and in unimaginable pain. The charity Love, Jasmine in my constituency was founded by Rob and Kathy Lapsley in 2016 after the death of their daughter Jasmine to support other bereaved parents on Merseyside through counselling, support groups, advocacy and practical advice.

Since then, it has helped over 900 families and received a constant stream of NHS referrals but without any commissioned NHS funding. It now faces a funding crisis after the loss of its National Lottery funding due to new criteria, which has left it operating a limited service and under threat of closure, while families face longer waiting times for support elsewhere that is less designed to their needs. Will the Government consider carefully the strong case for NHS commissioned funding for the kind of specialist support for bereaved parents that Love, Jasmine offers, so that this service—so trusted by the NHS across the north-west—is not lost?

I commend the work of Rob and Kathy Lapsley. Having been through a terrible loss themselves, they have provided support to parents across Merseyside who face such tragic circumstances. It is vital that bereavement support is available and offered with sensitivity, choice and respect for what each person needs. Integrated care boards must ensure that there is sufficient provision for bereavement, and that includes working with the voluntary community and social enterprise sector. We are investing £25 million to enhance bereavement facilities, and maternity and neonatal services. I thank my hon. Friend for championing the charity Love, Jasmine.

I commend the work of Rob and Kathy Lapsley. Having been through a terrible loss themselves, they have provided support to parents across Merseyside who face such tragic circumstances. It is vital that bereavement support is available and offered with sensitivity, choice and respect for what each person needs. Integrated care boards must ensure that there is sufficient provision for bereavement, and that includes working with the voluntary community and social enterprise sector. We are investing £25 million to enhance bereavement facilities, and maternity and neonatal services. I thank my hon. Friend for championing the charity Love, Jasmine.

Dorothy House runs spaces called bereavement help points, where people who are grieving can meet others who are grieving. The service relies entirely on volunteers. The trauma of baby loss can last a lifetime, and a charity like Dorothy House cannot cover all the need. Does the Minister agree that this service should be not a “nice to have” but an essential part of trauma care?

Dorothy House runs spaces called bereavement help points, where people who are grieving can meet others who are grieving. The service relies entirely on volunteers. The trauma of baby loss can last a lifetime, and a charity like Dorothy House cannot cover all the need. Does the Minister agree that this service should be not a “nice to have” but an essential part of trauma care?

I absolutely agree; all parents should have choice and respect in what is a very sensitive and difficult time. As of January this year, all integrated care boards in England have indicated that trusts in their areas offer a bereavement service seven days a week across maternity settings, so that support is available when families need it most. I would be happy to talk to the hon. Lady if she has any further concerns.

I absolutely agree; all parents should have choice and respect in what is a very sensitive and difficult time. As of January this year, all integrated care boards in England have indicated that trusts in their areas offer a bereavement service seven days a week across maternity settings, so that support is available when families need it most. I would be happy to talk to the hon. Lady if she has any further concerns.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing funding to organisations that support bereaved parents.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing funding to organisations that support bereaved parents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to tackle regional disparities in access to specialist mental health support for parents following baby loss.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to tackle regional disparities in access to specialist mental health support for parents following baby loss.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of mental health support to parents affected by baby loss in Slough.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of mental health support to parents affected by baby loss in Slough.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that bereaved parents who require specialist psychological support following (a) pregnancy and (b) baby loss are able to access such support through the NHS.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that bereaved parents who require specialist psychological support following (a) pregnancy and (b) baby loss are able to access such support through the NHS.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with [i] the NHS and [ii] baby loss organisations about the [a] impact of baby loss on fathers and [b] support services needed to support those fathers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with [i] the NHS and [ii] baby loss organisations about the [a] impact of baby loss on fathers and [b] support services needed to support those fathers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment has been made of the availability of mental health support to parents affected by baby loss in Slough.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment has been made of the availability of mental health support to parents affected by baby loss in Slough.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to provide bereavement support to families grieving loved ones that passed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to provide bereavement support to families grieving loved ones that passed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Statement on the publication of the sixth report of the Health and Social Care Committee, Palliative care (HC 1763).

Statement on the publication of the sixth report of the Health and Social Care Committee, Palliative care (HC 1763).

On behalf of the Health and Social Care Committee, it is a pleasure to present to the House our sixth report, which is on the subject of palliative care. This is the second report we are presenting to the House in as many weeks, because the Committee is in a...

On behalf of the Health and Social Care Committee, it is a pleasure to present to the House our sixth report, which is on the subject of palliative care. This is the second report we are presenting to the House in as many weeks, because the Committee is in a...

May I congratulate the hon. Lady on an excellent statement about what sounds to be a fascinating and detailed report? I was particularly impressed with the amount of time she dedicated to considering children’s palliative care. She may recall the debate in Westminster Hall earlier this month, when I mentioned...

May I congratulate the hon. Lady on an excellent statement about what sounds to be a fascinating and detailed report? I was particularly impressed with the amount of time she dedicated to considering children’s palliative care. She may recall the debate in Westminster Hall earlier this month, when I mentioned...

I commend the right hon. Gentleman for his campaigning on this issue over many years. Together for Short Lives was indeed a contributor to the two reports. Its specific recommendation on babies, children and young people’s care was that we need better specialist pan-ICB commissioning that is modelled on other...

I commend the right hon. Gentleman for his campaigning on this issue over many years. Together for Short Lives was indeed a contributor to the two reports. Its specific recommendation on babies, children and young people’s care was that we need better specialist pan-ICB commissioning that is modelled on other...

I, too, welcome the Health and Social Care Committee’s statement and thank the hon. Member for all her work in leading the Committee. We all know that we have an ageing population. It is an issue that is going to increase, and we know that the pressures on our palliative...

I, too, welcome the Health and Social Care Committee’s statement and thank the hon. Member for all her work in leading the Committee. We all know that we have an ageing population. It is an issue that is going to increase, and we know that the pressures on our palliative...

If the hon. Gentleman reads the introduction, he will see that we put the report in the context of the discussions on the assisted dying Bill. Like this House, the Committee has a range of views on the issue—for and against, and in between—but the point we make is that...

If the hon. Gentleman reads the introduction, he will see that we put the report in the context of the discussions on the assisted dying Bill. Like this House, the Committee has a range of views on the issue—for and against, and in between—but the point we make is that...

Motion that this House has considered Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood. Agreed to on question.

Motion that this House has considered Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood. Agreed to on question.