Bereavement Support

As important as our care is for patients it is equally important that we care for their loved ones.

Our care for families begins before a person dies and then continues into bereavement supporting those people close to our patients.

Our full Bereavement Support Pack will be sent to the next of kin as soon as possible when a patient dies. You are able to download a large part of the pack by clicking on the links below:

 

Bereavement & COVID-19

Guidance Following a Bereavement

Emotional Support Following a Bereavement

Bereavement Support Service

When a patient has died, we offer a bereavement support service to family and carers.

People can 'self-refer', asking us for help if required.

We offer a layered approach to support and have the following options available:

  • Understanding your grief – a one off session to help you understand grief and your response to it.
  • New Connections – a social group for bereaved people to try new social activities. Sessions run once a month.

Additional support:

If you feel you would benefit from additional support from the team, we can arrange an assessment, after which you may be offered one of the following:

  • Bereavement Support Group – This is a 2-hour weekly support group running over 6 weeks.
  • One-to-one counselling – Six sessions provided with one of our volunteer or student bereavement support workers at the hospice or remotely.
  • One-to-one counselling – 6-12 sessions with one of our counsellors provided face to face at the hospice or remotely.

To arrange access to support or an assessment, please contact the clinical secretaries:

Read Andy's Story to meet one of our bereavement volunteers.

Sources of further support:

Evenings of Remembrance

Our remembrance evenings provide an opportunity for those who have recently lost a loved one under the care of the hospice to come together and remember them.

During the service the names of those who have recently died will be read out and there will be time to reflect and remember loved ones and listen to readings and music.

The service is non-religious and lasts for about half an hour followed by a quiet time for reflection.

Following the main service is an opportunity for people to stay for a while for refreshments and to light their own candles in memory of a loved one or write a message on our memory tree if they wish to do so.

The service can prove very beneficial, and can help people feel less alone in their grief. Many people tell us that they find it beneficial to come to the hospice.

During the pandemic we were unable to hold our remembrance service so we made this video.