Bereaved families help create a quieter place to say goodbye

Families facing the loss of a baby now have somewhere quieter to be together at University Hospital in Coventry. A new bereavement suite sits away from the labour ward, with soundproofing and a separate entrance.

Parents who have experienced baby loss helped shape and furnish its two rooms. Ceri Key told the BBC how distressing it had been to stay on a postnatal ward alongside living babies after losing her son, Rufus.

Ceri and her husband raised £25,000 towards the appeal. Other families contributed too, helping provide sofas, artwork and the small comforts that make a hospital room feel less clinical.

The hospital’s account explains that the NHS trust funded the development, with charitable donations supporting the furnishings. Feedback from families and staff informed the design.

A room cannot remove grief, and compassionate care remains essential.

What these families have helped provide is time and privacy: space to hold their baby, make memories and leave when they feel ready, without the noise of a busy maternity ward around them.

Sources

• BBC — parents’ experiences and the opened suite
• UHCW NHS Trust — funding, design and family feedback