Woodland House Appeal

Heartbreaking experiences

Our hospital cares for over 2,000 grieving mums and dads every year who have lost a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death.  

Every loss is a devastating and uniquely personal experience, but previously, the space in which our expert bereavement midwives had to hold heartbreaking conversations didn’t reflect the significance of each family’s loss. 

News was delivered in cramped ‘quiet’ rooms, often on the maternity ward or in busy outpatient areas, and our patients said they felt rushed and had ‘nowhere to go’ after receiving devastating news. 

We knew that while we couldn’t change the outcomes for our families, we could offer them somewhere to grieve in safe, secure and serene surroundings before they feel ready to face the world again. 

A safehaven that honours loss

Our bereaved families helped us cut the ribbon to Woodland House in 2024. It’s the first dedicated pregnancy and baby loss bereavement centre in a hospital setting in the UK. 

Located at the side of the hospital, Woodland House has direct access from the hospital’s maternity ward and neonatal intensive care unit, as well as a separate entrance for when families return, meaning they can avoid painful reminders often inflicted when walking past pregnant women or happy families leaving with their newborn babies.

It features counselling rooms, a private garden, a large communal lounge area for support groups and religious rituals as well as a family room with its own private access and garden, offering the opportunity for families to spend time with their loved ones in comfort and serenity. It also includes a private and sensitive nursing care room for staff looking after a baby.

Effecting change nationally

It was always our mission to set a new standard of bereavement aftercare for our families but also create a blueprint for other hospitals and Trusts to follow and effect change nationally. 

We were proud to be the first NHS Trust in the country to introduce a pioneering policy for our staff, which enables 10 days of paid leave for mothers and five days paid leave for their partner, for those who experience loss before 24 weeks. The NHS followed suit three years later, adopting the same policy for its 1.6 million employees.

This momentum and campaigning by other partners led to the government announcing amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, giving those experiencing heartbreaking loss, the legal right to take time off work to grieve, giving them much needed time to access support at a difficult time. 

We’re proud of the contribution we’ve been able to make in changing things for our own patients, as well as helping to break the taboo nationally.