Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on helping ensure all NHS England trusts provide bereavement services seven days a week by the end of 2023-24.

In 2023/24, NHS England is investing £5.9 million to support the delivery of daily bereavement care services for women and families who suffer pregnancy/baby loss and growing the number of staff trained in bereavement care.

The commitment to ensure availability of bereavement services seven days a week by the end of 2023/24 is part of NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services. National Health Service trusts are working to ensure appropriate services are available on a daily basis, in line with the essential actions outlined in the Ockenden review. NHS England has also included training for staff who encounter bereaved parents in our national core competency framework, which sets out the minimum expected training for all maternity units.