Dedicated room for bereaved families opened at John Radcliffe Hospital

Work to create a dedicated bereavement room for families following the sad loss of a baby has been completed at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

The room, located on the Delivery Suite, is fully soundproofed and offers a private and tranquil space for the grieving families to stay.

It also has a separate pull-down double bed for comfort and features a medical bed to support any ongoing care requirements if needed.

The room is en-suite and has some home comforts like a television and a kettle.

Silver Star Maternity Fund, which is part of Oxford Hospitals Charity, supported this Trust's project with additional improvements, including the double bed, artwork, and ceiling lights that mimics the sky.

The new bereavement room is in addition to the maternity department's bereavement support services.

Kate Eadie, a midwife at OUH who helped lead on the project, said: "We are pleased to be able to open our bereavement room. This is a dedicated, private, and comfortable space to support families during an unimaginably difficult time. We hope that this room, designed and built with compassion and drive from our team, will bring some solace and comfort to those who will sadly need to use it."

Maggie Findlay, Society Manager at the Silver Star Maternity Fund, said: "We are pleased to have been able to support the Trust's work in this area. When dealing with such a desperately sad situation as losing a baby, it is important that families are given privacy and the right environment to spend some time with their child. We hope this space comforts them a little at such a difficult time."

Milica Redfearn, Director of Midwifery at OUH, said: "We are consistently looking for ways to improve our maternity services to provide excellent compassionate care, and this bereavement room is another significant development in that direction.

"We appreciate the remarkable dedication and effort demonstrated by our midwives on the delivery suite to ensure that the holistic and compassionate vision behind the bereavement room becomes a reality. 

"We are also grateful to our colleagues in the Oxford Hospitals Charity and its Silver Star Maternity Fund for their support in making the bereavement room a peaceful and comforting space."