Annex A > Chapter 16 - Support and Counselling > UBH/T bereavement services
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UBH/T bereavement services
152 The Inquiry heard that, at the BRI, parents whose children had died were assisted through the various practical steps by Diane Kennington, who became the Patient Affairs Officer at the BRI in 1983.
153 She told the Inquiry that her duties in 1983 were very much the same as they are currently:
`My role is to see relatives through a very difficult time, immediately following the death of a patient in hospital. At that time there are requirements of the registration of death, arrangements for the funeral and obtaining the signature on the consent form for a hospital post mortem ...' [186]
`I was often called to the Ward 5B immediately following a death so that I could give some help regarding the necessary procedure and formalities. I was asked to register the death of a child for parents who very often lived perhaps in Cornwall or Wales ... Other parents were given my name and telephone number in the usual way so that I could give information regarding the Coroner and again offer any help I could at this time. Helen Stratton was Cardiac Support Nurse and she passed the care of the parents over to me which provided the continuity which was felt to be important.' [187]
`I speak to all the bereaved families. They are told to ring me the day after the death has occurred and I can then give them information about the Coroner's involvement ...' [188]
154 Catherine Warren [189] informed the Inquiry that after a child died at the BRI:
`Before the parents left the unit, we would provide them with the contact number for the Patient Affairs Officer at the BRI (Diane Kennington) ... We would also give them a leaflet called "After your Child has Died", [190] which was specific to Ward 5.' [191]
155 Mrs Kennington's only previous post in the NHS had been that of a cashier. Her role in seeking `consent' for hospital post-mortems is considered in the Inquiry's Interim Report. [192]
156 The Inquiry heard that, at the BRHSC, hospital porters filled the role played by Mrs Kennington. Mr Frank Long worked at the BRHSC at various times and in various positions between 1984 and 1994. [193] In about 1989 the Head Porter at the BRHSC retired and in the 6-12 months before a replacement was found, Mr Long and his colleagues (Mr Graham Milkins [194] and Mr Leonard Dudridge) split the responsibilities of Head Porter, which included responsibility for bereavement services, between them. Mr Milkins and Mr Dudridge were responsible for bereavement services at the BRHSC and Mr Long at St Michael's. Given the split site, Mr Long stated that he had:
`... very little contact with families whose child had undergone paediatric cardiac surgery ...' [195]
`My involvement in bereavement services varied over the years and depending on which post I held.' [196]
But once he became Portering Manager in 1991, he was then:
`... fully responsible for an important aspect of bereavement services at both St Michael's Hospital and the Children's Hospital ... In about 1993 I split and restructured the portering services so that there was a dedicated team for each hospital. From then onwards I dealt with bereavement services only at the Children's Hospital.' [197]
`My overall responsibility for bereavement services was to provide information to parents about their legal responsibilities, and how they could meet them (e.g. registration of the death); to give practical advice about, for example, making funeral arrangements; and to act as liaison between the hospital, parents and undertakers ...
`I was contacted soon after a death had occurred, by the nursing staff. They would arrange a time for me to speak with the parents. [198]
`I worked very closely with the nursing and Chaplaincy staff at BRHSC and St Michael's in order to provide as supportive a service as possible.' [199]
159 As for support and training for him in his role, he stated that when he took up his post as Head Porter he was sent `on a counselling skills course for 4 days at the BRI' [200] and that his first line manager, Ian Barrington `was very supportive of the bereavement services', as were his subsequent line managers. [201]
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Footnotes
[186] WIT 0214 0001 Mrs Kennington
[187] WIT 0214 0014 - 0015 Mrs Kennington
[189] Senior Staff Nurse, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit from 1995
[190] WIT 0483 0033 - 0034 ; `After Your Child has Died'
[191] WIT 0483 0006 Ms Warren
[192] Interim Report: `Removal and Retention of Human Material', COI, May 2000. See Annex C for the full Interim Report
[193] Mr Long began as a kitchen porter at the BRHSC in about 1984, shortly afterwards becoming a full-time relief porter at the maternity hospital and the BRHSC. He worked as an auxiliary nurse from about 1986 to 1988-89, before returning to his post as full-time relief porter at the BRHSC
[194] Mr Milkins previously worked as a porter at the BRHSC in the early 1980s. Following employment as a driver and cleaner, he took up the post of porter at the BRHSC in September 1993, and became Head Porter at the BRHSC in February 1995 with full responsibility for bereavement services there. See WIT 0276 0001
[195] WIT 0368 0007 Mr Long
[196] WIT 0368 0003 Mr Long
[197] WIT 0368 0003 Mr Long
[198] WIT 0368 0004 Mr Long
[199] WIT 0368 0006 Mr Long
[200] WIT 0368 0008 Mr Long
[201] WIT 0368 0008 Mr Long