Bereavement Support

Ahead of this year’s World Hospice & Palliative Care Day on 9th October, each day we will be sharing news, initiatives and campaigns from Willowbrook Hospice to show our community how we are committed to equity and equality of care. We believe everyone should have access to palliative and end of life care, no matter who they are or what their background is. We will also be raising awareness and understanding of the needs of people living with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

Today’s focus is on bereavement support. Willowbrook Hospice is as committed to supporting the families of our patients as it is providing specialist care to patients themselves – both while their loved one is living, and after their death. To improve understanding and access, we want to raise awareness of what is available to patients and their families.

Willowbrook Hospice work with other charities and providers to ensure families have access to the range of support they may need. We have a formal working partnership with Child Bereavement UK, and we are also members of the Cheshire and Merseyside Bereavement Network, a network of bereavement services providers across the region.

Child Bereavement UK (CBUK) is a wonderful organisation that supports children and people up to the age of 25 who have been bereaved, as well as working with families that have lost a child of any age. CBUK also provide pre-bereavement support for children and parents who are facing an imminent loss. They offer free, confidential support by telephone, video or instant messenger, wherever you live in the UK. In the St Helens and Knowsley they also offer face-to-face sessions (by appointment only) on the first Tuesday of every month (including this Tuesday 5th October) at Willowbrook – The Living Well. This support is free of charge and is available for anyone in St Helens or Knowsley who needs it. To book an appointment call them on 0800 02 888 40, or for further information visit childbereavementuk.org.

Cheshire and Merseyside Bereavement Network is a provider of bereavement services providers across the region. We meet to share best practice, update each other on what support is available, and identify any gaps – with our ultimate aim being that anyone who needs bereavement support will have access to it.

Willowbrook has produced its own digital bereavement booklets, ‘What to Do When Someone Dies: Practical advice and information’ and ‘Emotional Support after Bereavement’, that can be accessed here. These booklets are valuable resources for people who have been bereaved and signpost access to further support and services that may be required.

Bereavement Advice Centre can also offer information and advice on a wide range of issues surrounding bereavement at bereavementadvice.org.

If you have questions about any aspect of bereavement that haven’t been answered, our Bereavement Support Team at the Hospice will help you find the answers. They can be contacted Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm on 0151 430 8736 or bereavement@willowbrookhospice.org.uk.

Willowbrook Hospice is one of the UK members of the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA), an international non-governmental organisation focusing exclusively on hospice and palliative care development worldwide and a global voice on hospice and palliative care. World Hospice & Palliative Care Day is an annual unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world. This year’s theme is “Leave no-one behind – equity in access to palliative care”.