New guidelines on how hospital staff should deal with parents who have lost a baby will be launched this morning.
The Health Service Executive guidelines will help staff support around 14, 500 parents who are bereaved in Ireland's maternity services each year.
The document will advise on how maternity unit staff can best respond to the needs of parents facing a variety of different tragic situations including miscarriage, which sadly occurs in one in five pregnancies, and fatal foetal abnormalities.
Approximately 500 baby deaths recorded in Ireland each year are classified as perinatal -when a baby dies in the weeks before or after birth. This includes stillbirths (babies born with no signs of life after 24 weeks of pregnancy or weighing at least 500 grams) and neonatal deaths (the death of a baby within 28 days of being born).
The new document aims to ensure that bad news is delivered to patients in a caring and understanding way and that each parent who comes into contact with HSE staff is given personalised care.
The 'Standards for Bereavement Care Following Pregnancy Loss and Perinatal Death' will be officially launched by Health Minister Simon Harris and HSE director general Tony O'Brien later this morning.
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