THE ANNUAL baby loss remembrance service will take place on Tuesday 1 October 2024 at St Luke’s Chapel in Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest at 7.00pm.

The ‘Forget Me Not’ service is part of the health board’s commitment to Baby Loss Awareness week (9-15 October) and is arranged by Midwifery and Bereavement teams and led by the Spiritual Care Department (Chaplaincy).

Euryl Howells, Senior Chaplain at Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “Experiencing the loss of a baby is an incredibly painful experience, and the service allows parents and their families to reflect and remember surrounded by support and love.

The service has long been a source of comfort for parents and families and will include prayers and readings, as well as poems and music to reflect.  The service offers the opportunity for people to come together and remember the lives of babies who are sadly no longer with us.

Euryl Howells continued: “The loss of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death is overwhelming and emotional.  We meet families during some of their darkest days and to meet them sometimes after months or years after their bereavement is a privilege and special to staff.”

Should you require further information please contact Euryl Howells by telephone or email 01267 227563 or [email protected]

If you are unable to attend the service and wish to commemorate your loved one, please send a message to [email protected] by 29 September 2024.

HYWEL DDA has confirmed the closure of St Davids Surgery this week, dismissing widespread local opposition and calls for reconsideration. This decision follows a packed public meeting where residents voiced their concerns about the loss of the vital healthcare facility.

The announcement to close the surgery was made in July, with the health board revealing that the surgery would shut down next month when its only GP resigns from the General Medical Services contract. Around 3,000 patients are registered at the surgery and will now be transferred, mainly to Solva Surgery, with others sent to Fishguard and Haverfordwest surgeries depending on their location.

This decision sparked significant backlash from the local community. A drop-in session held at City Hall saw hundreds of St Davids residents lining up outside the doors to express their concerns directly to the health board. Protest banners sprang up around the city, highlighting the depth of public feeling against the closure.

Undeterred, the residents of St Davids have continued their efforts to save the surgery.

Last week, more than 150 people gathered at City Hall for a meeting to discuss possible next steps. Topics included appealing the health board’s decision and exploring the option of the community purchasing the surgery building.

Despite the strong local campaign, the health board has stated it will not reconsider its decision. In a letter to campaigners, it acknowledged the concern and disappointment caused but confirmed that a branch surgery will be set up in St Davids. This new branch will offer services from a multi-professional team for a minimum of 20 hours per week but will not include any sessions run by a physician associate, limiting support for doctors in patient care.

The health board plans to begin the patient transition process in the coming weeks. The management team is collaborating with staff at both St Davids Surgery and Solva Surgery to develop a new model of general practice. This model aims to meet the health board’s statutory requirement to provide appropriate services for St Davids residents by the end of October.

Hywel Dda Health Board has expressed its commitment to ongoing cooperation with the Peninsular Working Group. It has also pledged to review the general medical services (GMS) provision in six months to ensure it continues to meet patients’ needs. In addition, health board engagement events on the development of primary and community services strategy are scheduled throughout September.

Dr Neil Wooding, the newly appointed chairperson of Hywel Dda University Health Board, and acting CEO Prof Phil Kloer addressed the decision: “In making the decision to support the managed list dispersal of the current St Davids Surgery, members of the board were presented with all of the facts related to patient demographics, travel times, etc. This also included discussions with the current owners of the surgery building, Llais, and the local medical committee.”

“We will not revisit this decision but will continue to work with the community of St Davids to mitigate any negative impact of this development where possible,” they added.

While the health board remains firm in its decision, the residents of St Davids are determined to keep fighting for local healthcare services, hoping to minimise the impact of the surgery’s closure on their community.

SANDS the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity, is supporting the National Strategic Clinical Network for Maternity and Neonatal Services to create tailored bereavement care pathways for those who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss in Wales.  

The pathways aim to reduce inequalities and improve the quality of bereavement care provided to parents and families, and has been made possible by funding from the Welsh Government. The pathway materials will include guidance for healthcare professionals based on evidenced best-practice, and a set of standards relating to important aspects of bereavement care.

Good quality bereavement care is vital for parents who have experienced the loss of a pregnancy, or whose baby has died. It includes sensitive communication with parents, providing a bereavement room away from maternity or labour wards, and parents being given informed choices about decisions relating to their care and the care of their babies.
 Clea Harmer, Sands’ Chief Executive, said: “Everyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby deserves high quality bereavement care and support. 

“We know that no level of care can remove the grief that many parents will feel after pregnancy loss or the death of a baby, but good care can make this devastating experience feel more manageable. We also know that poor quality or insensitively delivered care can compound and exacerbate pain.

“This launch follows a huge amount of hard work and determination from our partner organisations, the generous support of many bereaved parents and families, and medical professionals who have shared their experiences.

“We hope that through supporting the National Strategic Clinical Network for Maternity and Neonatal Services, we can work together to make sure everyone affected by pregnancy or baby loss gets the care that they need.”

In developing the pathways for Wales, Sands carried out a series of listening events for parents and health professionals during 2024, to understand how bereavement care in Wales can be improved. 

These insights will be incorporated into work with the National Strategic Clinical Network for Maternity and Neonatal Services to introduce pathways to address specific needs after miscarriage, Termination of Pregnancy for Foetal Anomaly (TOPFA), stillbirth, neonatal death or Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI).

Chief Midwifery Officer for Wales, Karen Jewell said: “We are delighted that we have been able to support this important initiative to develop and implement a National Bereavement Care Pathway for Pregnancy and Baby Loss.

“Pregnancy loss or the death of a baby is devastating, and this initiative will help to ensure that every family who suffer from this are appropriately and compassionately supported.

“Our significant investment into bereavement services will improve care and ensure consistency across Wales, the Bereavement Support Grant will continue to support organisations like Sands to extend and deepen bereavement support and fill the gaps that currently exist.”

Healthcare professionals are an important part of the Sands community, and the charity wants to support them to deliver good bereavement care. The pathways will introduce dedicated support for medical staff who care for bereaved families in Wales.

Cara Moore, Lead Midwife from the National Strategic Clinical Network for Maternity and Neonatal Services said: “We are thrilled to be leading the development and implementation of the development and implementation of bereavement care pathways in Wales in collaboration with Sands. The development of pathways will ensure consistent high quality and sensitive bereavement care is offered to all bereaved parents in Wales. This will be supported through training, interdisciplinary collaboration and continuous monitoring and promises a sustained improvement in the experiences of bereaved parents.

“We are also pleased that the implementation of the pathways align with and supports long term plans for the delivery of high quality maternity and neonatal care in Wales.”

Marc Harder, Head of Bereavement Care & Hospital Liaison at Sands, said: “Earlier this year, bereaved parents and families in Wales generously shared their stories of pregnancy and baby loss with us during a series of listening events. Key themes that arose included gaps in compassionate care, inappropriate and insensitive medical terminology, care outside of the hospital and inconsistency in bereavement care provision.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with the National Strategic Clinical Network for Maternity and Neonatal Services to develop bereavement care pathways that will begin to address these concerns and lead to higher quality care at such a difficult time for parents and families. We will continue to work with parents, professionals and other stakeholders to ensure an evidence-based and community-led approach to the development of Wales-specific pathways.”

More information about the bereavement care pathways in Wales
The project in Wales is led by Sands in collaboration with a number of other charities and professional organisations, and funded by the Welsh Government. The project provides dedicated, evidence-based care pathways designed for all healthcare professionals and staff involved in the care of women, birthing people, partners and families at all stages of pregnancy and baby loss.

Five experiences of pregnancy or baby loss are included in the pathway project including miscarriage, TOPFA, stillbirth, neonatal death and SUDI.

Sands is here to support all bereaved families in Wales and across the UK. The charity provides support through its Freephone helpline, online community and resources, and through a network of regional support groups run by trained befrienders, all offering in-person peer support. 
 Find out more about all the ways the charity offers bereavement support.