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Sands

Sands is a UK charity that works across the country to support anyone affected by the death of a baby; improve the care bereaved parents receive from health care and other professionals; and reduce the number of babies who do die by funding research and working closely with other organisations to create a world where fewer babies die.

www.sands.org.uk Fundraise for us
corporate.partnerships@sands.org.uk

0808 164 3332

Registered charity no. 299679

Member since June 2018

Latest News

Baby Loss Awareness Week 9th-15th October 2023

Baby Loss Awareness Week 9th-15th October 2023

Baby Loss Awareness Week is an opportunity:

To support bereaved parents and families and to unite with others across the world to commemorate their babies’ lives and lost pregnancies.

To raise awareness about pregnancy and baby loss.

To drive improvements in care and support for anyone affected and in the prevention of pregnancy and baby loss.

The Baby Loss Awareness Week Alliance are committed to raising awareness of pregnancy and baby loss, providing support to anyone affected by pregnancy loss and the death of a baby, working with health professionals and services to improve bereavement care, and reducing preventable deaths.

To find out how you can get involved this year visit: https://babyloss-awareness.org/get-involved/

From getting your street to light up pink & blue, to holding an online Remembrance Event in your garden, and the global Wave of Light there are lots of ways you can get involved with Baby Loss Awareness Week 2023.

There are lots of ways you can get involved with Baby Loss Awareness Week and help raise awareness safely.

Virtual Events are a great way to bring people together, along with family garden events at home or socially distanced activities such as Remembrance Events or community Ribbon Remembrance Displays.

Of course, there are also our Baby Loss Awareness Week Ribbon pins, merchandise and Wave of Light candles for you to purchase from the Shop.

If you have any further questions or would like to share with us about your plans, please contact us via email here: babyloss@sands.org.uk

Finding the words; supporting the NHS to support families. Sands launch their June 2020 campaign!

Finding the words; supporting the NHS to support families. Sands launch their June 2020 campaign!

The aim of our campaign is to make sure all staff working in hospitals and for the NHS know that now, more than ever, Sands is here to support them in caring for families when the worst happens. The NHS is under enormous pressure, and we know that this is having a devastating impact on both bereaved parents and NHS staff.

Thousands of bereaved families across the UK who are already struggling with the death of their baby are facing added social isolation and anxiety. Supporting bereaved families can be challenging for professionals who are also trying to manage their own emotions and may feel unprepared and daunted.

Now, more than ever, Sands is here to support all staff working in hospitals; through its helpline, online resources and training, and a new video animation showing the difference good bereavement care can make.

Sands Chief Executive, Clea Harmer, said: “Every day, COVID-19 is impacting on newly-bereaved families’ ability to spend precious time with their baby making memories; it is creating extreme difficulties in arranging funerals, and is making coping so very much more difficult because of isolation from friends and family.

“However, even in this current crisis it is still possible to provide empathetic and kind care for these devastated families and Sands can do much to support NHS staff in this and to help alleviate the pressure many staff are feeling. We are experts in supporting NHS staff to respond to, and cope with, bereavement and have a strong track record of doing this for many years.

“Good care cannot remove a family’s pain and grief, but it can have a long-lasting impact on their wellbeing helping them continue in life without their much-loved baby, which is why it is so important to get it right.

“I’d like to thank all those who continue to offer the best care to parents when their baby dies, during this challenging time. And thank you to everyone who supports the work we do.”

Supporting those bereaved following the death of a baby is one of the most difficult parts of the job for many health care professionals. They may worry about how they will cope if the worst happens, that they will not know what to say or do, or that they will breakdown themselves.

After taking part in Sands training one NHS worker said: “Thank you. Although emotional, it was very beneficial to our role and I will take into practice what I have learnt today”.

Sands is offering NHS workers guidance, tools and on-line training including:

  • Resources and materials such as memory boxes
  • Helpline for NHS staff
  • E-learning and webinars
  • On-line tools, resources and materials via the National Bereavement Care Pathway

Visit www.sands.org.uk/findingthewords to find out more about how you can help Sands' message reach those who need it.