In 2005, the Scottish Executive Health Department, along with NHS Education Scotland (NES) and NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS) commissioned a study of bereavement care in Scotland. Since then, Scottish Government Health and Wellbeing Directorates' publications such as "Better Cancer Care" (click on the link to view document : http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/242498/0067458.pdf), and "Living and Dying Well" (click on the link to view document : http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/239823/0066155.pdf) have identified the need to develop guidance for the NHS in Scotland on delivering good bereavement support to relatives and carers, and that support should be available across all NHS Boards and regardless of the nature of the illness which led to the death.
"The death of someone close can be a shattering experience and, whether the death has been sudden or expected, we can find ourselves confused by a mixture of emotions. It can be very hard to make sense of it all"
From a leaflet "The Next Few Days" published by Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland
From January 2009, John Birrell, Bereavement Services Co-ordinator at NHS Tayside, has been seconded on a part-time basis to take this work forward within the Patients and Quality Division of the Scottish Government. A former Health Care Chaplain, and a former national chair person of Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland, John has been involved in the development of bereavement care in Scotland for the past ten years.
The launch of the Bereavement Framework Project has been established following the speech delivered by Shona Robison, MSP, Minister for Public Health and Sport, at the First National Conference on Bereavement in a Health Care Setting, held in Dundee in September 2008 (link to Minister's speech here).
The work of the project will build on the 2005-06 study, which was conducted by the Joanna Briggs Institute at The Robert Gordon University. The report of that study can be viewed at : http://www.rgu.ac.uk/nursing/research/page.cfm?pge=41757 .
The work of the project is guided by a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency Project Group, and is being taken forward under four headings:
- Issues around the time of death
- Issues around ongoing bereavement support
- Issues around staff support and training
- Issues around the co-ordination of bereavement work
"The added stress was about simple things ....like where was the picture his youngest grandchild had given him the day before ..."
A bereaved relative
The Project Group would be delighted to hear from anyone who would like to share their experience of being supported by the NHS in their bereavement and from those who have developed or are developing bereavement services at a local level.