Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Maria Caulfield and Matt Warman

Tuesday 7th March 2023 Commons Chamber

[Matt Warman (Boston and Skegness) (Con)]

2. What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report by the UK Commission on Bereavement entitled “Bereavement is everyone’s business”, published in October 2022.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Maria Caulfield)]

I thank the UK Commission on Bereavement and everyone who contributed their experience of bereavement for their input into the report. We are working across Government and with the bereavement sector to consider how the wide range of findings from the report can inform future policy and make a difference to those who are bereaved.

[Matt Warman]

When my parents died just six weeks apart from each other, I know I would have benefited from practical and emotional support. The UK Commission on Bereavement has a number of excellent recommendations. Does the Minister agree that, among those, the idea of integrating support and information about bereavement into palliative care and end-of-life care is one that the Government should look at taking up?

[Maria Caulfield]

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend, who has done so much work in this space campaigning for others to have a better experience than he had with the tragic loss of his parents. I can give him an absolute commitment that we are working with partners across health and palliative care to ensure that bereavement support is an integral part of palliative and end-of-life practice. The new Health and Care Act 2022 means that integrated care boards must commission those services, and NHS England has published new statutory guidance on palliative and end-of-life care to give ICBs the information they need, which includes giving bereavement support to those facing a loss.